Idaho jobless rate falls for first time in nearly three years

Idaho employers boosted employment by 2,700 in March, the best monthly gain in six years. The increase was enough to trim the state unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage points, to 9.4 percent. The number had not fallen for 32 months. The rate in Coeur d’Alene dropped by 0.6 percentage points, to 10 percent, thanks to the hiring of 125 additional workers. The decrease for Kootenai County matched that for the city as more than 900 residents found work. Other North Idaho counties did not make progress. The unemployment rate in Bonner County held at 13.1 percent, but Benewah County’s rose to 16.5 percent, Boundary County’s to 15.5 percent, and Shoshone County’s to 15 percent.