unemployment

But it isn’t easy since she never knows when she could lose her job again. The Supreme Court recently approved the mass firings.

Richard Midgette was fired on Valentine’s Day in the first wave of federal layoffs of probationary national parks employees. Just over a month later, he was rehired and then let go again. The first firing especially took a serious toll on his mental health.

Slightly more people are looking for work than this time last year. But Wyoming’s rate trails the national 4.1%.

The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services says most county unemployment rates rose slightly in May. That’s somewhat unusual, as it’s the time of year when seasonal jobs tend to start up.

Unemployment rates tend to drop in summer months as seasonal jobs in construction, and professional and business services, pick up.

This year’s rate is considerably higher than February of last year, at 2.8%, but still well below the national unemployment rate of 4.1%.

While the state’s rate is almost a full point higher than last year, it’s still below the current national unemployment rate of 4%.

The uptick follows a gradually rising trend, which can be normal for this time of year for certain sectors.

Soda ash is Wyoming’s largest export. It’s in things like baking soda and glass, and it comes from the mineral trona. The industry relies on trona miners in Sweetwater County, but many are without jobs this week due to layoffs at Genesis Alkali.

The state Department of Workforce Services notes it’s somewhat unusual for jobless rates to increase in August. The department says this perhaps suggests that economic growth is moderating around the state.