Jobless rate improves in Northwest Montana

The jobless rate in Northwest Montana continued to improve in April, with Flathead County posting an unemployment rate of 4.7%, compared to 5.9% in March.

Flathead County has a workforce of 45,065 employed people.

Lincoln County likewise saw improvement, from 8.8% in March to 7.3% in April, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Sanders County improved from 7.7% to 6.1%. Lake County has the lowest unemployment in this corner of the state, posting a jobless rate of 3.9% in April, compared to 4.9% in March.

Montana’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.6% in the month of April.

The national unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to also sit at 3.6%.

Total employment estimates indicate a gain of 232 jobs in Montana during April. Payroll employment posted no significant change as job gains in the professional and business services and construction industries were offset by declines in the retail trade and seasonal recreation industries. Continuing a pattern that tight labor markets are constraining job growth, Montana’s labor force contracted by about 200 workers over the month, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.