HELENA – The unemployment rate in Montana nudged up again due mostly to a drop in government jobs.
The Montana Labor Department says that the rate has steadily increased from 7.3 percent in May and 7.5 percent in June to 7.7 percent in July.
From June to July, the national unemployment rate dropped slightly from 9.1 percent to 9 percent.
Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says there were job increases in the private sector. But he says a drop in government employment and economic struggles related to the lingering financial crises and housing bubble crash are still causing issues.
The agency says private sector payroll jobs increased by 2,600 jobs, while government employment decreased by about 3,500 jobs.
Flathead County’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 10.4 percent. It was 11.4 percent in June.