Jobs go begging

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Local entities say they are having a hard time hiring help,  as Weston County’s unemployment rate remains the lowest in the state. 
“We have had little response on summer help,” city engineer Mike Moore told the Newcastle City Council on May 17. 
Weston County School District No. 1’s maintenance manager, Greg Gregory, told the school board on May 26 that the district is having similar issues. 
“We have hired one person for summer help, the only
application we have received,” he said. Gregory said that the city, refinery and other local businesses are facing similar hiring issues. 
In April, according to the May 24 unemployment report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Research and Planning Division, 153 people in Weston County were unemployed, down from 160 in March. With a total labor force of 3,952, 3.9% of those people were unemployed during April, less than March’s 4.2% rate. 
Weston County has continually seen a decrease in unemployment from month to month and has held either the second or lowest unemployment rate in the state for most of the past year. 
The highest unemployment rate in the state is 7.4%  Natrona County. The statewide average is 5.4%, seasonally adjusted. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 6.1%, seasonally adjusted. 
Year over year, Weston County saw an increase in its unemployment rate from 3.3% in April 2020 to 3.9% in April 2021. Fifteen other counties also experienced year-over-year increases. In April of 2020, the unemployment rate was 5.5% statewide and 14.8% nationally.