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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Worst since the ‘40s, but signs of recovery…

In 2010, the state Department of Labor projects that 13 counties will have double-digit unemployment rates, with Clearwater County forecast the highest at 17.2 percent. In 2011, the department projects that 10 states will hit double digits, with Valley County highest at 16.9 percent. Said chief research officer Bob Uhlenkott, "The earliest department analysts expect to see year-over-year employment gains is into late summer or early fall of 2010, and a full recovery to pre-recession employment levels could be realized near the end of 2013. For those industries hit the hardest during the recession like construction, it could be after 2025 before we return to the employment levels of 2007."

He said, "Idaho's current recession has been the deepest we've felt since the 1940s, and while there are signs of economic recovery, no one has declared it officially over yet."



Eye On Boise

News, happenings and more from the Idaho Legislature and the state capital.