Montana Unemployment Dips to 3.5% in April as CPI Rises 0.6%

1 articles · Updated · Missoula Current · May 26

Montana’s unemployment rate edged down to 3.5% in April, below the 4.3% national rate, after the number of unemployed fell by 690.
State labor data showed total employment also slipped by 579 and the labor force declined, but the drop in unemployment was larger, pushing the jobless rate lower.
Payroll jobs still increased by 800 in April, with construction and healthcare posting the biggest gains; Missoula County recorded 2.8% unemployment and Ravalli County 3.2%.
Inflation moved the other way: the CPI for All Urban Consumers rose 0.6% in April and 3.8% over 12 months, with energy up 3.8% and accounting for more than 40% of the monthly increase.
Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.8% over the past year, underscoring that Montana’s relatively tight labor market is coinciding with broader price pressures.

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