"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.
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.
The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 5.2% in December to 5.1% in January. The state’s unemployment rate peaked at 8.5% in May 2020 and has steadily decreased since then. Wyoming’s January unemployment rate of 5.1% was much lower than the U.S. rate of 6.3%.
Weekly UI Claims Data Table of Contents
Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims in Wyoming followed their usual seasonal trends from December 2020 to January 2021, with initial claims increasing 23.8% and continued weeks claimed increasing 9.3%. The volume of claims remained much greater than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
Wyoming had 5,870 initial claims in January, up 23.8% from November. Nearly all industries showed double-digit percentage increases over the month, with the greatest increases seen in leisure & hospitality, transportation, warehousing, & utilities, and retail trade.
There were 11,450 unique claimants receiving continued benefits in January, up 28.7% from December. The total number of continued weeks claimed was 35,032, up 9.3%.
This publication is intended to introduce the reader to the data available for Wyoming from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.
As the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions hit Wyoming in second quarter 2020, widespread job losses were seen in the state. From second quarter 2019 to second quarter 2020, Wyoming lost 26,733 jobs (-9.6%) and total payroll fell by $216.5 million (-6.4%).
2020Q2 Employment and Wage Tables
News Release | 2019 Tables and Figures | CFOI Main Page
The number of occupational fatalities in Wyoming rose slightly from 31 in 2018 to 32 in 2019 (an increase of one death, or 3.2%). From 1992 to 2019, Wyoming averaged 33 occupational fatalities each year, making the 32 deaths that occurred in 2019 slightly lower than average.
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.
Selected quarterly turnover tables and figures for Wyoming.
New postsecondary education employment outcomes data for graduates of Wyoming community colleges and the University of Wyoming are now available online by clicking here.
For more information on how to navigate these interactive Tableau graphics, please see this article in Wyoming Labor Force Trends.
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.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for Wyoming
NEW: Statewide, Regional, County, and MSA Data (estimates for Wyoming wages for May 2019 data updated to the March 2020 ECI Employment Cost Index). See note about wage updating used to calculate estimates.
Occupational staffing levels and wage rates for other states and the nation can be found HERE.
The newest long-term industry and occupational projections from Research & Planning indicate that Wyoming will add approximately 20,000 new jobs over the next 10 years, an increase of about 7%.
2018-2028 Projections Main Page
Welcome to the 2020 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. Topics covered in this report include:
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.
PDF (2.8 MB)
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.
Wyoming Licensed Occupation Dashboards
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.
PDF (1.4 MB)
Presentation: Health Care Workforce Needs in Wyoming (PowerPoint)
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
Presentation Handout (PDF)
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:
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.
Presentation: PowerPoint | PDF
Published October 5, 2018. Revised December 3, 2018.
Nearly one in four (22.5%) persons working in Wyoming in 2018Q1 commuted from another county or state.
Published December 2018.
The following are some of the specific locations on our website that may have useful information for you as you consider your employment options: