|
Idaho unemployment holds steady |
|
December 18, 2016 |
Idaho's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate
held at 3.8 percent in November – the same rate
reported since July.
Employment increased by 1,500 to 783,800,
absorbing an additional 1,200 people who joined
the state’s labor force and reducing the number
of unemployed Idahoans by 300 to 30,600.
Month-to-month, Idaho’s total nonfarm payroll
jobs grew by 3,700 to 700,200 – exceeding
700,000 for the first time in the series
history. Gains in natural resources,
manufacturing, trade and transportation,
information, financial activities, professional
and business services, government and other
services exceeded the number of jobs shed in
construction, education and health, and leisure
and hospitality.
Year-over-year, Idaho’s total nonfarm job growth
for November showed a net gain of 16,300, or 2.4
percent, with all sectors except natural
resources showing gains.
Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped by
three-tenths of a point to 4.6 percent.
Idaho’s labor force participation rate remained
steady at 64 percent while nationally, the rate
dropped slightly to 62.7 percent.
According to the Conference Board, a Washington,
D.C., think tank, there were about 22,700 online
postings for Idaho jobs in November. Of those,
4,600 were classified by department analysts as
hard-to-fill.
Health care jobs accounted for 29 percent and
included physicians, surgeons, psychiatrists,
occupational and physical therapists, and
support positions. By volume, registered nurses
and truck drivers maintained the first and
second spots for the largest number of
hard-to-fill jobs.
Annually, Idaho’s unemployment benefit payouts
were up 3.9 percent - from $1.8 million a year
ago to $1.9 million for November 2016. The
number of weeks compensated remained relatively
flat with a slight uptick of 0.82 percent over
the year.
Twenty-three of Idaho’s 44 counties had
unemployment rates above the state rate. Madison
County continued to experience the lowest
unemployment rate at 2.4 percent. Six counties
experienced rates above six percent: Clearwater
(8.0 percent), Shoshone (7.2 percent), Adams
(6.7 percent), Benewah (6.6 percent), Lewis (6.3
percent) and Lemhi (6.1 percent).
The Idaho Falls metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
reported the lowest unemployment rate of all
MSAs at 3.2 percent, down from 3.3 percent one
year earlier. The Coeur d’Alene MSA experienced
the highest unemployment rate among the MSAs at
4.6 percent, down from 4.8 percent in the
previous November.
Details on Idaho’s unemployment picture can be
found at
lmi.Idaho.gov. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
