◆ Estimates suggest one-third found jobs. Two-thirds stopped looking.
SVI Media/Workforce Services
The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 4.5% in September to 4.1% in October.
The recent decreases in Wyoming’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate have been largely the result of unemployed individuals leaving the labor force. From October 2020 to October 2021, the number of unemployed people in Wyoming decreased by an estimated 3,955 individuals.
Estimates suggest that just over one-third of those people (1,331 individuals) had found jobs and gone to work, while nearly two-thirds (2,624 individuals) had stopped looking for work and dropped out of the labor force. It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect Wyoming’s economy.
From September to October, unemployment rates fell in most counties. The largest decreases occurred in Niobrara (down from 2.4% to 1.9%), Sublette (down from 3.4% to 3.0%), Natrona (down from 3.7% to 3.3%), Hot Springs (down from 2.4% to 2.0%), and Campbell (down from 3.3% to 2.9%) counties.
From October 2020 to October 2021, jobless rates decreased in every county. Unemployment rates were unusually high in October 2020 because of the pandemic. The largest decreases were seen in Natrona (down from 6.6% to 3.3%), Converse (down from 5.5% to 2.5%), Campbell (down from 5.9% to 2.9%), and Sweetwater (down from 5.4% to 3.1%) counties.
Natrona County had the highest unemployment rate in October at 3.3%. It was followed by Sweetwater County at 3.1%, Sublette County at 3.0%, and Campbell County at 2.9%. The lowest rates were found in Weston County at 1.7%, Teton County at 1.8%, and Niobrara and Crook counties, each at 1.9%.
Total nonfarm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) rose from 274,500 in October 2020 to 277,100 in October 2021, an increase of 2,600 jobs (0.9%). Employment was unusually low in October 2020 because of economic disruptions related to the pandemic.
Research & Planning has scheduled the November unemployment news release for December 20, 2021.
