Job Service North Dakota, PO Box 5507, Bismarck, ND 58506-5507

TTY: 1.800.366.6888 www.jobsnd.com

Darren Brostrom
Interim Executive Director

NEWS


For Immediate Release
June 20, 2014

Contact: Michael Ziesch
701.328.2888
mziesch@nd.gov
North Dakotas Unemployment Rate 2.4% for May

Bismarck Job Service North Dakota reported that labor statistics released today show North Dakotas May
not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.4 percent. The rate fell 0.2 percentage points from prior
month (April 2.6 percent), and was also lower than a year ago (2.6 percent). The national rate in May was 6.1
percent. Michael Ziesch, Labor Market Information manager stated, The unemployment rate continued a
regular pattern with a slight drop over the month. The current months rate is nearly a series low only edged out
by May 2001, which posted at 2.3 percent.
North Dakota Not Seasonally Adjusted Labor Force Data
May 2014 April 2014 May 2013
Unemployment Rate 2.4% 2.6% 2.6%
Unemployed 10,059 10,670 10,508
Employed 401,870 395,416 392,805
Labor Force 411,929 406,086 403,313

The nations seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent for May, unchanged from prior month.
The current months rate was 1.2 percentage points below last year (7.5 percent). The seasonally adjusted
rate for North Dakota was 2.6 percent in May, a slight uptick over the month (April 2.5 percent). The current
months rate is a decrease from May 2013 (3.0 percent). The seasonal adjustment process utilizes a
statistical adjustment to accommodate predictable fluctuations between months; such as length of daylight
and typical weather. Seasonal adjustment allows for comparison between all months of a year.
Seasonally Adjusted Rates
May 2014 April 2014 May 2013
North Dakota 2.6% 2.5% 3.0%
United States 6.3% 6.3% 7.5%

Notes:
1. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people actively seeking work compared to those in the labor force (employed plus unemployed).
2. Data are subject to revision.
3. The Job Service North Dakota Labor Market Information Center produced these statistics using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics nationally-
required standard methodology.
4. County and substate areas will be posted on 6-25-2014 to the Labor Market Information website: http://www.ndworkforceintelligence.com.