Employment in county up

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Like a majority of counties in the state, Weston County saw a increase in employment, overall wages and average weekly wages from the second quarter of 2018 to the second quarter of 2019 according to a report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Research and Planning dated Feb. 7. 
The employment rate in the county was 2,375 in 2019, up 82 from the previous year or 3.6%. Weston County was one of 16 counties that experienced an increase in employment numbers and the state as a whole saw a 1.8% increase. 
Despite seeing an overall increase in employment numbers, Weston County did experience a decrease in the labor force for both federal, by 3.1%, and state, by 4.6%, government. The uptick in employees in both the private and local government, 5.9%, sectors were enough to balance those out. 
The private labor force reached 1,541 individuals, up 55 from the previous year or 3.7%. The largest increases within the private labor force were mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, up 20.6%, construction, up 17%, accommodation, up 31.8%, and repair and maintenance, up 21.1%. 
Decreases in employment numbers were seen in retail trade by 6.3%, real estate and rental and leasing by 16% and health care and social assistance by 10.8%
Those categories saw similar trends when it came to total wages. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction saw a 18.8% increase and construction was up 24.7%. The private industry’s overall wage growth reached 10%, an increase of $1,431,117. Total wages earned for Weston County in the second quarter of 2019 was $15,739,765. 
Governmental sectors saw varying results when it came to total wages earned with the federal government decreasing by 4.8% and state government by 4.4% while local government’s total wages increased by 3.25, reaching $7,384,850. 
Despite seeing a decrease in the other two categories, state government employees in Weston County saw a 0.2% increase in average weekly raises while the private sector saw an increase of 6.1%. 
Both the federal government and local government experienced decrease in employee’s average weekly wages at 1.8% and 2.5% respectively. 
County level employment and wages data for the third quarter of 2019 will be released on May 8. Preliminary findings show that Wyoming once again experienced an increase in employment and total payroll.