Unemployment up in Carbon County

According to the 2024 Wyoming Workforce Annual Report published in June, Wyoming's labor market continued to grow in 2023, with the number of jobs finally returning to prepandemic levels from 2019.

The state added 6,362 new jobs and $1.1 billion in total wages compared to 2022, as stated in the annual report.

The most recent month-over-month unemployment numbers reported by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services shows the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose statewide slightly from 2.8% in April 2024 to 2.9% in May. The U.S. unemployment rate in May was 4.0%.

Although overall the state added jobs in 2023, early numbers in parts of Wyoming like Carbon County show an increase in unemployment in some areas.

The most recent available unemployment rates in Wyoming for May show Carbon County had the largest increase statewide, up from 2.8% to 3.1% and Sweetwater County rose from 3.0% to 3.3%, according to statistics on the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services website at https://dws.wyo.gov/wyoming-unemployment.

June unemployment data will be released on July 22.

The most recent numbers available on the Workforce website report 195 people unemployed in Carbon County in April 2024.

The unemployment rate fell in Washakie County from 3.2% to 3.0%, Sublette from 3.6% to 3.4%, Park from 2.9% to 2.7%, Niobrara from 2.3% to 2.1%, and Lincoln from 3.0% to 2.8%, according to the website.

On a year-over-year basis from May 2023 to May 2024, unemployment rates rose in 19 counties, according to the website.The rate remained unchanged in three counties, and fell slightly in Teton County from 2.7% to 2.6%. The largest increases occurred in Big Horn, up from 2.8% to 3.4% and Sublette, up from 2.8% to 3.4%.

“Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates show that total nonfarm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) rose from 292,300 in May 2023 to 295,200 in May 2024, an increase of 2,900 jobs (1.0%),” as stated on the website.

Attempts to get a comment from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services as to what it attributes the recent increase in unemploymet rates in parts of the state were unsuccessful.