employment

Missoula's unemployment rate fell to 3% in January and added 1,800 jobs over the prior year, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry said Thursday.

A company that manufactures natural soap and skin-care products in Missoula plans to grow its workforce in the coming year, and it's doing so on the heels of a large contract to produce a run of shampoo bars.

A business management and consulting firm based in Missoula plans to expand its workforce in the coming months in a push to accommodate its growing base of local and national clients.

Payroll gains continue to outpace expectations, putting more pressure on the Federal Reserve to cool down the economy.

When reached for comment and Lee Enterprise's Regional Local News Director David McCumber said he could not comment on the situation.

Sue Malek writes, "We need the film industry in Montana and we expect our elected officials to do the right thing —- create good Montana jobs."

A 2014 law prevented the city from developing some land it thinks would be perfect for semiconductors.

The latest effort to make Montana a “right-to-work” state was tabled in a House committee Wednesday less than a week after hundreds of union members packed the Capitol in opposition to House Bill 448.

While the Montana University System is confident it can train the workforce needed to grow the state's technology industry, Salish Kootenai College will play a role of its own.

The bill’s supporters said it would protect workers’ freedom, but opponents said it was an attack on Montana unions.