"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.
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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.
Wyoming Unemployment Falls to 3.7% in November 2019
The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell slightly from 3.8% in October to 3.7% in November. Wyoming’s unemployment rate was lower than its November 2018 level of 4.1%, but slightly higher than the current U.S. rate of 3.5%.
There were 2,715 initial Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims in November 2019, a 28.0% increase compared to November 2018. Initial claims increased in all industry sectors and most counties.
Over the year, initial claims rose from 2,121 to 2,715, an increase of 594 claims, or 28.0%. The greatest increases were seen in construction, mining, and trade, transportation, warehousing, & utilities.
Initial claims were up in 18 counties, with large percentage increases seen in Sublette (106.3%), Converse (105.6%), and Sweetwater (88.6%) counties. Initial claims for out-of-state claimants increased by 39.0%
Total continued weeks claimed increased from 10,644 to 11,878 (1,234 weeks, or 11.6%). The number of unique claimants increased by 14.8%, while the number of benefit exhaustees decreased by 10.8%.
Over-the-year increases in continued claims were seen in most goods-producing industries, including construction, mining , and manufacturing (138 or 54.3%). Continued claims decreased in most service-providing industries, most notably leisure & hospitality.
Over-the-year increases were seen in 13 counties, including Natrona, Sweetwater, and Laramie counties. Continued claims for out-of-state claimants increased by 11.0%.
Wyoming Normalized Unemployment Insurance Statistics: Continued Claims
New: Licensed Occupation Dashboards
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.
In 2017, Wyoming employers added an estimated 88,561 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.
Wyoming Employment and Payroll in First Quarter 2019: Strong Growth in Construction Jobs
From first quarter 2018 to first quarter 2019, Wyoming employment rose by 5,679 jobs (2.2%) and total payroll increased by $192.1 million (6.2%). Approximately half of the job gains in first quarter occurred in the construction sector, which added 2,867 jobs.
Job growth was also seen in professional & business services, manufacturing, leisure & hospitality, mining (including oil & gas), and wholesale trade, transportation, warehousing, & utilities. Employment fell in information, retail trade, and other services.
A growing industry is defined as one that shows over-the-year growth in average monthly employment for two consecutive quarters.
In 2019Q2, R&P identified 13 growing industries in Wyoming, including electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing, heavy & civil engineering construction, and computer & electronic part manufacturing, among others.
A declining industry is one that shows over-the-year decline in average monthly employment for two consecutive quarters. R&P identified seven declining industries in Wyoming 2019Q2, including air transportation, food manufacturing, and crop production.
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.
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) in Wyoming
NEW: Statewide, Regional, County, and MSA Data (estimates for Wyoming wages for May 2018 data updated to the March 2019 ECI Employment Cost Index).
See note about wage updating used to calculate estimates.
Demographics and Earnings of Persons Working in Wyoming by County, Industry, Age, & Gender, 2000-2018
Each year, the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services publishes detailed information on earnings and employment by industry and county of employment. The numbers of individuals working in each industry or county are based on employers’ quarterly wage and employment reports to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services; these are referred to as wage records. Any individual who had wages in Wyoming at any time from 2000 to 2017 is included in the summary counts presented in this research. Each individual is counted only once.
By linking the Wage Records database with other administrative databases, such as the driver’s license file from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, R&P is able to identify demographic information for each county and industry, including number of persons working, average annual wages, average number of quarters worked, and average number of employers.
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:
Wyoming is projected to add more than 5,000 jobs from 2018 to 2020, according to the most recent short-term projections from the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.
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.
Wyoming Long-Term Industry and Occupational Projections, 2016-2026
The latest long-term projections from the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services show growth from 2016-2026. The industry projections suggest that the state will experience a net growth of 25,894 jobs (9.4%) over the 10-year period.
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.
Presentation: Inside the 2018 Wyoming Workforce Annual Report
Presented at the 2018 Safety & Workforce Summit, Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 20, 2018
by Michael Moore, Editor Research & Planning, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.
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Wyoming at Work