Unemployment rate jumps in county, state

The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 3.8% in March to 9.2% in April.

In Hot Springs County, the unemployment rate jumped from 4.4% in March to 6.9% in April. In April of 2019 the unemployment rates was 3.1% in HSC.

Given the large number of layoffs and other economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in unemployment was widely expected. Job losses were seen across all areas of the state and in every major industry with the hardest hit sectors being leisure & hospitality, natural resources & mining, and retail trade.

The largest job losses occurred in leisure & hospitality (-13,800 jobs, or -41.4%), natural resources & mining (-2,600 jobs, or -12.6%), retail trade (-1,700 jobs, or -6.0%), and government (including public schools, colleges, and hospitals -1,700 jobs, or -2.5%).