Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly by 0.1 points in January to 6.8% while the national unemployment rate fell from 10% to 9.7% in January.

"The U.S. economy showed positive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the second half of 2009, but employment growth lags behind a recovery in GDP," says Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly. "We hope this economic recovery continues so that unemployed Montanans can return to work in the upcoming months."

Seasonally adjusted, non-agricultural, payroll employment posted job gains of 1,700 jobs and the total number of Montanans who are working changed little, with a loss of 667 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis. The labor force, defined as those who are employed or looking for work, also showed little change, declining by 144.

Lincoln County still had Montana's highest unemployment rate at 17.8%, followed by Sanders County where the jobless rate stood at 17.1%. Fallon County saw the lowest unemployment rate at 3.3%

Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted consumer price index (CPI-U) rose 0.2% in January due to an increase in the energy index, led by gasoline price increases. The index for all items less food and energy, also called core inflation, fell by 0.1%, indicating that inflation does not yet pose a threat to the U.S. economic recovery.

Here are the January unemployment rates for counties in north-central Montana:
Blaine: 6.4
Cascade: 6.8
Chouteau: 5.3
Fergus: 7.4
Glacier: 11.3
Hill: 6.0
Judith Basin: 7.5
Lewis & Clark: 6.1
Liberty: 6.1
Meagher: 10.1
Phillips: 7.6
Pondera: 6.9
Roosevelt: 8.1
Teton: 6.6
Toole: 5.2
Valley: 6.5
Wheatland: 7.3

Web extras:

• Monthly labor force information for Montana counties are available at: http://www.ourfactsyourfuture.org/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=94&SUBID=205
• Monthly Montana industry employment information is available at: http://www.ourfactsyourfuture.org/cgi/dataanalysis/?PAGEID=94&SUBID=199
• Annual labor force data for Indian Reservations in Montana are available at: www.ourfactsyourfuture.org/?PAGEID=67&SUBID=121