Flathead County’s unemployment inched up to 13.3 percent in February. The jobless rate is another bleak record for the county, eclipsing the previous high set in January, when the non-seasonally adjusted rate stood at 13.2 percent, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.
Neighboring Lincoln and Sanders counties’ unemployment rates remained the highest in the state, coming in at 18 percent and 17 percent.
Statewide, unemployment also crept up to 6.9 percent, from 6.8 percent a month earlier. Montana’s unemployment figure has been ticking slowly upward since hitting 6.4 percent back in November.
The Labor Department says there was a small increase in the number of overall jobs last month, but also more workers re-entering the work force.
Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says stronger job growth is needed before the Montana unemployment rate begins to decrease.
February marked the sixth straight month in which Flathead County’s unemployment rate has risen – and the highest rate since the beginning of the recession – following five straight months in which it decreased.
Flathead unemployment rates by month:
February 2010: 13.3%
January 2010: 13.2%
December 2009: 10.9%
November 2009: 10.1%
October 2009: 9.3%
September 2009: 8.8%
August 2009: 8.7%
July 2009: 9.1%
June 2009: 9.6%
May 2009: 9.7%
April 2009: 10.5%
March 2009: 12.7%
February 2009: 12.2%