“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 6/4/20
While 47,000 Montanans remain unemployed—roughly 10 percent of the entire workforce—unemployment applications are on the decline, suggesting reopening is working quickly to jumpstart an economy shuttered by COVID-19 shutdowns. According to NBC Montana, federal officials “say 2,874 people in the state filed new applications for job assistance last week,” constituting a 25 percent drop from the previous week, but a 280 percent spike from the same week in 2019. While just 10 percent of the workforce is currently receiving unemployment payments, nearly 24 percent of the entire workforce has been unemployed at some doing since March 14, a staggering statistic on the mend as Montana reopens. On June 1, Montana official moved into phase 2.
