Idaho unemployment rate remains at 3.5 percent

Idaho’s unemployment rate remained at 3.5 percent in June, continuing a historic, 14-month streak of unemployment rates below 4 percent.

“The economy has never, at any time in Idaho’s history, been this robust,” said Roger Madsen, Idaho Commerce & Labor director.

More than 700,000 people hold jobs in Idaho. A slight increase in the number of people looking for work in June signals a slowdown in job growth, but the economy remains in good shape, Madsen said.

During June, jobs were created in construction, agriculture and tourism and hospitality industries. High school and college students looking for summer work, however, experienced a tighter job market.

In the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai County’s unemployment rate rose slightly in June to 3.8 percent, still low by historic standards.

Elsewhere in North Idaho, Bonner County had 4.5 percent unemployment in June. Boundary and Shoshone counties were at 7.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively. And in Benewah County, the collapse of a railroad trestle into St. Maries caused temporary layoffs, leading to a June unemployment rate of 8.2 percent.