What's New at the Job Service Missoula - June 2023

Job Service Missoula is OPEN for business! Our hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except for Wednesday when our business hours begin at 11 a.m. To save you time and travel, we offer services by phone and email. We also offer online meetings, and scheduled appointments for those needing more intensive assistance with their employment and training needs. 

Give us a call at (406) 728-7060 or visit us online at MontanaWorks.gov for assistance with recruitment, training and other labor-related business needs.

Social Media Campaign

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is commemorating the 60^th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act throughout the summer. You can also create a short video for your social media followers showing you support equal pay for equal work.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits sex-based wage discrimination and requires men and women in the same work establishment receive equal pay for equal work in jobs that are substantially equal and performed under similar working conditions. Job content (not job titles) determines whether jobs are substantially equal. Although the law was passed 60 years ago, each year there are still hundreds of pay discrimination charges filed with the EEOC, including more than 950 in Fiscal Year 2022, which was the first increase in Equal Pay Act charges in three years. 

Learn more about this issue and participate in the campaign here.

Montana Ranked 44th in the Nation for Wages

Data Dashboards Spotlight

Wages in Montana have been growing quickly – in 2022 the average annual wage was $54,525, over $12,000 higher than just 5 years ago. While much of the nation has seen wage growth, Montana has grown particularly fast, having ranked 5th for growth in the past year and 9th for growth in the past 5-years. Check out this dashboard that explores wages in Montana in comparison to the rest of the country and dives into wage earnings by industry as well as other measures of income in order to better understand wage and income data in Montana.

Wages grow at 5th fastest rate in the nation in 2022

Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced Montana’s unemployment rate remained at an all-time low of 2.3% in May, bucking national trends as the country’s unemployment rate rose from 3.4 to 3.7%.

In 2022, average annual wages in Montana grew at the fifth fastest rate in the nation, according to recently released data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

“With our pro-jobs policies and the unparalleled work ethic of Montanans, we continue to outperform states in job creation, wage growth, and low unemployment,” Gov. Gianforte said. “While the Biden administration picks winners and losers in our economy and advances activist, woke policies, we’re making Montana the best state in the country to live, work, start a business, and raise a family.”

According to data compiled by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, total employment in Montana, which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers, added 1,478 jobs in May. Read the full press release here.