Idaho jobless rate drops to 4.1 percent

Low energy prices, strengthening consumer confidence, low interest rates and a warm winter contributed to Idaho’s 4.1 percent unemployment rate in January. The rate is the lowest since March 2008, and it’s approaching what some economists view as full employment, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. The number of people working rose by nearly 4,200 to a record 746,600, state officials said. Employers maintained payrolls at or above average levels from December to January in all industries except for manufacturing, which experienced a modest decline in jobs. Until now, little or no growth in the state’s labor force and people dropping out of the workforce slowed Idaho’s economic expansion, state officials said. But that changed in January, with more people joining the workforce. Idaho’s unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in December, and 5.1 percent in January, 2014. Unemployment rates by county will be released later this month.