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Idaho's September unemployment rate holds
steady,
Boundary County rate little changed |
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October 16, 2015 |
As September’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment
rate held steady at 4.2 percent, Idaho’s labor
force reached an historical record high by
exceeding 800,000 for the first time ever.
A monthly increase of 5,000 nonfarm jobs--the
result of 9,800 education workers returning to
work for the start of a new school year--offset
general seasonal declines across Idaho’s
economy, including a stronger-than-average
seasonal shedding of 1,000 construction jobs as
heavy and civil projects were completed.
Boundary
County, with a labor force of
5,062 according to Idaho Department of Labor
figures, now has an unemployment rate of 5.2%,
with 264 people listed in the county as
unemployed. In August's figures, Boundary County
had an unemployment rate of 5.3%.
In other nearby counties, the "Sandpoint
Micropolitan Area" (so designated by the
Department of Labor) has a seasonally-adjusted
unemployment rate of 6.2%, and the Coeur d'Alene
MSA unemployment rate is 5.0%.
Year over year, Idaho nonfarm payrolls remained
3 percent ahead of 2014 due to an
across-the-board gain of 19,300 jobs,
underscoring 12 months of continued economic
growth. Virtually all other Idaho industry
sectors enjoyed yearly gains in September,
including construction with an increase of 9.1
percent, the largest annual increase for
construction since 2006.
September’s addition of 1,400 people into the
workforce marked nine straight months of growth,
pushing the state’s labor force to a record high
of 800,800 people.
Idaho’s labor market remained tight in September
as the number of unemployed workers increased by
less than 100 and the number of unemployed
individuals available per job listing remaining
at 1.2, according to job opening estimates by
The Conference Board.
The state’s labor force participation rate--the
percentage of people 16 years and older with
jobs or looking for work--remained unchanged at
64.1 percent for the fourth consecutive month.
Nationally, the unemployment rate also went
unchanged, remaining at 5.1 percent in September
while the participation rate declined to 62.4
percent from August’s 62.6 percent.
The state’s unemployment benefit payouts were
down from August by 20 percent, from $1.4
million a year ago to $1.1 million for September
of this year, while the number of claimants
dropped by 22 percent from a weekly average of
5,200 a year ago to 4,000.
Twenty-three Idaho counties experienced higher
unemployment rates than the state average during
September. Madison County claimed the lowest
unemployment rate in the state at 2.9 percent,
while Adams, Clearwater and Shoshone counties
reported the highest rates.
Almost all of Idaho’s Metropolitan Statistical
Areas had unemployment rates below the state
average except for the Coeur d’Alene MSA at 5
percent. The Boise MSA was 3.7 percent, down
from 3.9 percent in August. The Idaho Falls MSA
fell from 3.7 percent to 3.6 percent,
maintaining the lowest unemployment rate of all
the MSAs.
For additional insight into Idaho’s current
labor market situation, visit
lmi.Idaho.gov. |
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