Bureau of Business and Economic Research

According to UM economists, the recession projected in the winter never materialized and outlooks are rosier for many areas of the state, with the exception of eastern Montana.

Montana’s high tech industry is booming. But experts worry that growth will slow if businesses can’t find the skilled employees they need.

Montana’s economic performance in 2020 will go down as the worst in its post war history, but economists say a flood of federal relief dollars have largely buoyed incomes and the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana held its annual economic outlook seminar this week and told the story of Montana’s industries.

While the COVID-19 pandemic cratered Montana’s economy last spring, researchers say the state’s recovery has been a little stronger than the U.S. average.

Montana unemployment claims are steadily decreasing and that trend could continue, despite the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Missoula’s residential real estate market remains red-hot with home sales up more than 20% from last year. A mid-year report released by local realtors...

An economic downturn of greater magnitude than that seen in 2008 recession could be felt in Montana in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. That...

The U.S. Forest Service is allowing loggers more time to meet their contracts in national forests due to the novel coronavirus, according to a notice...

Many Montana companies are struggling to find suitable workers to fill job openings. Researchers and industry experts at a seminar in Bozeman Wednesday…

Montana’s most populated county may be reaching an economic equilibrium following a drop in oil prices in 2014 thanks to a strong base of manufacturing…