State's Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly

HELENA — The state Labor Department says Montana’s unemployment rate rose slightly in May, partly because more people started looking for work.

Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly says the state added 1,300 jobs in May, but the seasonably adjusted unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a point to 6.3 percent.

Kelly says more job openings and better economic conditions have encouraged many people to enter the labor market. Construction and retail trade both posted strong job gains in May.

The national unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a point to 8.2 percent in May.

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