Idaho 2.9 percent jobless rate matches record low

Idaho’s unemployment rate continued downward in August, falling to a 10-year low and matching the state’s record of 2.9 percent in June 2007.

An Idaho Department of Labor news release Thursday said twenty of Idaho’s 44 counties had unemployment rates at or above the state rate in August. North Idaho’s five counties were among them with Benewah at 4.8 percent, Boundary, 4.1; Bonner, 3.6; Kootenai, 3.4; and Shoshone, 5.3, according the department’s website.

Two other counties were at or above 5 percent: Clearwater at 5.8 percent and Lewis at 5.1 percent. Madison County’s unemployment rate remained the lowest at 1.6 percent.

August’s one-tenth of a percent decline was the sixth consecutive monthly decrease in the unemployment rate and is a result of the first substantial increase to Idaho’s labor force since February, the department said. An additional 1,802 people joined the labor force last month, and employment increased by 2,979 for a total of 796,430. The labor department said 1,177 unemployed workers found jobs in August.

Nonfarm jobs grew by 2,400 – pushing Idaho’s total payrolls to 714,100. Eight of the state’s 11 industry sectors shared the increase. Trade, transportation and utilities added the most jobs in August at 1,400, while jobs in other services grew the fastest at 2.9 percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, said national unemployment was 4.4 percent in August – up one-tenth of a percent from July – while the country’s labor force and the participation rate held steady at 62.9 percent.