Jobless rate drops in Kootenai County

Double-digit unemployment never sounds good, but Kootenai County’s October jobless rate of 10.5 percent was a bright spot: It was down from September’s rate of 11.1 percent.

The county’s total employment rose to 63,355 last month, up 962 workers from the prior month, the Idaho Department of Labor reported Friday. Statewide, the number of workers with jobs rose by 2,300 from September, to 692,700.

Coeur d’Alene’s unemployment fell to 11 percent in October, from 11.5 percent in September.

Employers across Idaho’s economy maintained payrolls at higher levels than typical for October, pushing seasonally adjusted unemployment down to 8.8 percent statewide – the lowest in nearly two years. It was the second straight month that Idaho’s jobless rate has been below the national rate.

The state’s unemployment has fallen by eight-tenths of a point from the record 9.7 percent in December through March.

Elsewhere in North Idaho, the unemployment rate last month fell sharply to 12.9 percent in Bonner County; 13.6 percent in Benewah County; 13.5 percent in Boundary County; and 14.1 percent in Shoshone County.