"Labor Market Information (LMI) is an applied science; it is the systematic collection and analysis of data which describes and predicts the relationship between labor demand and supply."
The States' Labor Market Information Review, ICESA, 1995, p. 7.
2021 Wyoming Workforce Annual Report
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Welcome!
Welcome to the newly redesigned Wyoming Labor Market Information website of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services' Research & Planning section.
Research & Planning (R&P) is an exclusively statistical entity within the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services that collects, analyzes, and publishes timely and accurate labor market information (LMI) meeting established statistical standards.
The goal of our website redesign is to provide Wyoming Labor Market Information in a format that is faster, more user-friendly on all devices and accessible to all. We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions about the redesign and any ideas about ways to improve our website. You can contact us via e-mail to DWS-RESEARCHPLANNING@wyo.gov, by calling us at (307) 473-3807, or via mail to Research & Planning, PO Box 2760, Casper WY 82602.
Attention Wyoming Labor Force Trends Subscribers
Research & Planning is considering moving to an all-electronic format for Wyoming Labor Force Trends. If you have input on this matter, or would like to receive Trends electronically but are not currently doing so, please contact R&P Research Supervisor Michael Moore at michael.moore@wyo.gov or (307) 473-3814.
Wyoming Unemployment Insurance Claims Report, April 2022
Initial and continued Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims in Wyoming continued to decline from prior-year levels in April 2022. The number of initial claims increased from March to April, primarily in mining and leisure & hospitality.
There were 1,931 initial claims in April 2022, down 66.7% compared to April 2021. This amount is getting closer to pre-pandemic levels of 1,706 initial claims in April 2019.
From March to April, initial claims followed their normal seasonal pattern and increased by 22.5% (355 claims). The seasonal increase in leisure & hospitality was due in large part to ski season ending in Teton County.
The industries with the largest numbers of initial claims included leisure & hospitality, construction, and mining, among others.
There were 9,273 total continued weeks claimed in April 2022, down 60.9% from the prior year. The number of unique claimants was 3,502, down 56.0% from April 2021. The total number of continued weeks claimed was 21.0% lower than pre-pandemic total of 11,738 in April 2019.
Wyoming Employment and Payroll: Job Growth in Fourth Quarter 2021
From fourth quarter 2020 to fourth quarter 2021, Wyoming added 7,017 jobs and total payroll rose by $382.5 million. Despite the recent job growth, employment has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Total employment in fourth quarter 2021 was down approximately 9,300 jobs from fourth quarter 2019.
Growing and Declining Industries in Wyoming, 2021Q4
Wyoming had 21 growing industries in 2021Q4, which accounted for 25.0% of all industries and 24.6% of the state's total employment. Growing industries included computer & electronic product manufacturing, support activities for mining, management of companies & enterprises, accommodation, and pipeline transportation.
There were also four declining industries in 2021Q4, which made up 4.8% of all industries and 4.1% of the state's total employment. The four declining industries were oil & gas extraction, petroleum & coal products manufacturing, nursing & residential care facilities, and administration of economic programs.
The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.6% in February to 3.4% in March. Wyoming’s unemployment rate is slightly lower than the current U.S. rate of 3.6% and much lower than its March 2021 level of 5.0%. From February to March, seasonally adjusted employment of Wyoming residents increased by 796 individuals (0.3%) as people returned to work.
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) in Wyoming
NEW: Statewide, Regional, County, and MSA Data (estimates for Wyoming wages for May 2020 data updated to the September 2021 ECI Employment Cost Index).
See note about wage updating used to calculate estimates.
Using survey data collected through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey (CPS), this new report from the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services looks at how the global pandemic impacted workers in Wyoming and the U.S.
Topics covered in this report include:
The number of individuals who were able to work remotely
How many people were unable to work
Whether employees received pay for hours not worked
If the pandemic prevent individuals from looking for work
The number of occupational fatalities in Wyoming rose from 32 in 2019 to 35 in 2020 (an increase of three deaths, or 9.4%). Across all industries, more than half of 2020 workplace deaths (57.1%) were the result of transportation incidents.
A new publication from the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services demonstrates R&P's ability to track Wyoming high school seniors into post-secondary education and the labor market.
The senior cohort for the academic year 2006/07 was used as an example throughout the publication. Key findings showed that 10 years after their senior year:
78.7% had attended either college or a university
39.8% earned a post-secondary award (certificate or degree)
Welcome to the 2021 edition of the Wyoming Workforce Annual Report, produced by the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services in partnership with the Wyoming Workforce Development Council. This report provides an overview of Wyoming’s economy and workforce. Chapters in this report include:
Wyoming's Labor Market in 2020:
Pandemic, Declining Energy Prices
Force Historic Job Losses
Substantial Job Losses Seen in Mining,
Leisure & Hospitality
Wyoming Population Grows from 2010
to 2020
Unemployment Rate Increases in All
Wyoming Counties
UI Benefit Recipients, Payments Reach
Historic High in 2020
Weekly Trends in UI Claims in Wyoming
During the Pandemic
Identifying Occupations with the Most
UI Claims in 2020
Number of Persons Working in Wyoming
Drops 6.4% in 2020
Short-Term Projections Show Job Losses
for Wyoming
Does Wyoming Reward a Postsecondary Education?
Wyoming Employers Add Nearly 100,000
New Hires in 2019
Wyoming Occupational Fatalities Increase
to 32 in 2019
Wyoming’s Nonfatal Occupational Injury
and Illness Incidence Rate for 2019
The Directory of Licensed Occupations in Wyoming 2019, compiled by the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, provides detailed information about license requirements and related information for the 97 occupations required to have a license by the state of Wyoming. Forty-five licensing boards oversee the administration and enforcement of these licenses.
Requiring practitioners of some occupations to be licensed results in the assurance that these workers have a minimum level of education and competency, and also generally results in higher wages for workers in those occupations compared to those in many unlicensed occupations.
In 2018, Wyoming employers added an estimated 94,074 new hires: individuals who, during a particular quarter, started working for an employer he or she had not worked for since at least 1992, the first year for which R&P has wage records.
The New Hires Survey allows R&P to collect rich survey detail not previously available, such as occupation, rate of compensation, benefits, important job skills, employer satisfaction with a new hire’s skills, retention, and more. By linking New Hires Survey data to existing administrative databases, such as Unemployment Insurance Wage Records and Wyoming Department of Transportation driver’s license files, R&P is also able to identify new hires characteristics such as age and gender.
New from R&P: Postsecondary Education Employment Outcomes Interactive Graphics
New postsecondary education employment outcomes data for graduates of Wyoming community colleges and the University of Wyoming are now available online by clicking here.
Wyoming Youth and Populations with Barriers to Employment:
Supporting Tables and Figures for Wyoming’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Annual Performance Report, FY 2019
This report, prepared by the Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, serves as supporting documentation for Wyoming’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Annual Report for Program Year 2019. The primary focus of this report is Wyoming youth, which is defined for these purposes as individuals ages 15-24, and other populations with barriers to employment, such as homeless, English language learners, veterans, and others.
The Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services conducts the Wyoming Benefits Survey on a quarterly basis. This survey is designed to collect information about the types of benefits Wyoming employers offer their employees.
This publication examines the prevalence of employer-provided benefits such as medical insurance, retirement plans, and paid leave in Wyoming during third quarter 2018. These benefits are analyzed in several ways: by full- and part-time employment status, employer size class, industry, and by Wyoming substate region.
Includes lookup tools by occupation, printable PDFs for each licensed occupation, links to O*Net detailed descriptions, and comparison of wages for the U.S. and Wyoming.
Presented by Tony Glover, Manager, and Michael Moore, Editor, of the Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to the Wyoming Interim Joint Labor, Health, & Social Services Committee, June 13-14, 2019, Cheyenne, WY
R&P offers new series of Labor Market Information webinar videos
Hosted by Research & Planning Senior Economist Katelynd Faler, the webinars cover a variety of Labor Market Information topics based on questions we've received from the public. Topics include:
A Study of the Disparity in Wages Between Men and Women in Wyoming:
Update 2018
In 2017, the Wyoming joint labor, health, and social services interim and the joint minerals, business, and economic development interim committees requested the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services complete a study on the state’s gender wage gap (House Bill 0209). This report is an update to a similar report published in 2003.
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