Wyoming Department of Workforce Services

Unemployment continues to surge nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Wyoming isn't an exception.

The new numbers reflect a slight decrease from October where unemployment was at 3.8 percent.

Since 1992, the state has seen an average of 33 workplace fatalities each year.

The report also shows the mining sector of the economy, which includes oil and gas jobs, doing better.

The state unemployment rate has dropped significantly over the past year, but those numbers are not as positive as they seem.

State Economist David Bullard says the national job-related death rate went up by about 7 percent between 2015 and 2016.

Peabody Energy and Arch Coal announced today that some 465 coal mine workers in the Powder River Basin are being laid off.