Gov. Steve Bullock on Tuesday said Pam Bucy, commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, will be stepping down.
No replacement was named in Tuesday’s announcement and neither Bucy nor the governor gave a reason for the departure.
Appointed to the post by Bullock in 2013, Bucy saw unemployment rates drop to an historic low during her tenure while registered apprenticeships increased 30 percent.
“Over the next decade, Montana’s labor force will see more and more chances to take advantage of work-based learning opportunities,” Bucy said. “Now is a great time to be a part of Montana’s workforce and I will look forward to watching our state’s economy continue moving forward.”
During her time on the job, Bucy worked to address Montana’s current and projected workforce shortage. In 2016, she said 130,000 Montana’s are expected to retire in the next decade.
Only 120,000 workers between the ages of 16 to 24 are ready to take their place.
“No matter how you do the math, we currently don’t have enough bodies to fill the jobs we currently have,” Bucy said at the time. “This worker shortage will impact every single industry sector throughout Montana.”
During her term, the state saw its highest annual wage growth since 1990, and it recorded the sixth fasted wage growth in the nation. Bucy also worked to implement Bullock’s Main Street Montana Project.
“Pam has been a star and will be missed,” Bullock said. “She has been a driving force in how the state, the university system, and the private sector work together in getting Montanans and employers the skilled workforce they need.”