Idaho Records 37 Work-Related Fatalities in 2017

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Idaho’s 37 work-related fatalities in 2017 was up seven from 2016, according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among data collected:

  • Transportation incidents accounted for 17 fatalities and 10 were caused by contact with objects and equipment.
  • Among private industry, the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector had the largest number of fatalities in the state with 15.
  • Men accounted for 97 percent of the work-related fatalities.

Find additional information and national comparisons in the the full news release on the  BLS website.

Additional information on the BLS website includes:

2019 Serve Idaho Conference to Focus on Giving Back

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News Release

For Immediate Release: March 13, 2019
Information Contact: Renee Bade, (208) 332-3578 ext. 4061

Serve Idaho is hosting its 2019 annual conference- Giving Back Unites – March 27-28 in the Jordan Ballroom at Boise State University Student Union.

The general conference takes place March 27, 8 a.m. to 4:30. On March 28, the focus is on AmeriCorps members.

The audience for the general conference includes nonprofit and volunteer management professionals, AmeriCorps members and program directors, and individuals hoping to increase their skillset in volunteer and nonprofit management.

Luke Mickelson

Stephanie Taylor-Silva

 

 

 

 

 

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Idaho’s January Unemployment Rate Steady at 2.8 Percent

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News Release

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2019
Information Contact: Craig Shaul, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Third Fastest in the Nation for Over-the-Month Job Growth

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was 2.8 percent – the third consecutive month at this rate and the 14th consecutive month at or below 3 percent following the benchmarking of 2018 estimates.

 

The slight increase of Idaho’s seasonally adjusted over-the-month nonfarm payroll jobs was the third fastest in the nation – increasing by 4,500 in January to 746,800.

 

The biggest month-to-month industry job gains, all at or above 1 percent, were in construction, manufacturing, other services, financial activities, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality. Information and government were the only two sectors that experienced job declines.

Among Idaho’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), month over month, the Coeur d’Alene MSA was the fastest growing at 1.4 percent growth or 900 jobs.

 

An additional 2,052 people entered the workforce from December to January, pushing Idaho’s seasonally adjusted labor force number up to 864,446. Total employment increased by 1,438 to 840,074, and the number of unemployed increased by 614 to 24,372.   Continue reading →

Around Idaho: Economic Activity in February 2019

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Information provided in this article is from professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern
Eastern Idaho

 

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

    • Coeur d’Alene-based business incubator Innovation Collective has announced plans to expand and open operations into nine new communities including Sandpoint, Lewiston, Pocatello and Kellogg. The Innovation Collective provides a variety of services aimed at promoting creativity and collaboration while providing space for entrepreneurial activity. Source: Spokane Journal of Business
    • The city of Coeur d’Alene announced that work on the development of the city’s Atlas Mill site is expected to begin this year. The site – a stretch of undeveloped waterfront property along the Spokane River – was purchased by the city in 2018. The new plans outlined by the city call for the space to be developed into a park with a trail system and swimming areas. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
    • Ignite CDA – Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency – is seeking public input on two competing developments proposed for midtown Coeur d’Alene. The agency is seeking to develop a mixed-use development with both commercial space and residential units, and is seeking public input on two competing proposals for the development. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
    • Work is moving forward on the demolition of defunct structures on the site of the former Garden Motel in Coeur d’Alene to clear space for the construction of a new 113-room Marriott Fairfield hotel. The project was delayed after Marriott updated its hotel prototypes, which compelled developers to seek new building permits for the Coeur d’Alene site. Developers anticipate the new hotel opening in spring 2020. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Sam.Wolkenhauer@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 457-8789 ext. 4451

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Interest Rates and Idaho’s Housing Market

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As an era of low interest mortgage rates appears to be ending and housing prices and interest rates shift steadily higher, many homeowners may find their affordable monthly mortgage payment increasingly difficult to cover.

A prolonged post-recessionary period of low interest rates increased homebuyer purchasing power allowed home prices to rise far beyond levels household income might otherwise allow. The result is a housing market where prices are detached from household income and interest rates – rather than income – are a main driver of economic activity.

Mortgage rates were in a long slow decline prior to the 2007 – 2008 housing market crash which provoked even lower rates. For nearly 10 years afterwards, homebuyers consistently enjoyed mortgage rates well below 5 percent.1

chart of 30-year mortgage rates

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

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Idaho Labor’s Unemployment Technology Tool Gains National Attention

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News Release

For Immediate Release: March 7, 2019
Information Contact: Mark Mayfield, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3693

The Idaho Department of Labor was recognized for being the first state to implement a technology tool verifying unemployment insurance information for individuals filing for benefits in Idaho while living in another state. This ultimately safeguards taxpayer money from waste, fraud and abuse.

Pictured are Mark Mayfield, left, Idaho Department of Labor, and Jon Pierpont, NASWA board president.

“I credit our dedicated team of business and IT professionals whose efforts allowed us to successfully launch the Interstate Connection Network Relay system (ICON Relay) to quickly confirm the authenticity of benefit claims from out of state,” said Mark Mayfield, executive director over IT modernization for unemployment insurance.

Find out more about the ICON Relay system and Idaho Labor’s Merrill Baumgardner Innovation in Information Technology Award presented by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies Technology Committee on the NASWA website.

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Public Invited to Comment on Proposed Update to WIOA Eligible Training Provider Policy

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News Release

For Immediate Release: March 5, 2019
Information Contact: Cheryl Foster, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3213

Training providers and interested members of the public are invited to submit comments concerning a proposed change in the approved Idaho Policy for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Eligible Training Providers.

The proposed change is in the methodology for approving programs of training services under Idaho’s (WIOA) Title I-B programs. This methodology would replace the existing Appendix A to the policy.

Review the current approved Idaho Policy for WIOA Eligible Training Providers and the proposed new Appendix A online.

They are posted on the Idaho Department of Labor Eligible Training Provider Web page at www.labor.idaho.gov/ETP.

Please submit all comments on the proposed Appendix A by email to WIOAPlan@labor.idaho.gov. The policy committee will review the comments received prior to March 13, 2019, before making a final recommendation to the Workforce Development Council on April 11, 2019.

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Idaho’s 2018 Annual Average Unemployment Rate Remains at 2.8 Percent

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News Release

For Immediate Release: Feb. 28, 2019
Information Contact: Karen Jarboe Singletary, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215 or Robert Kabel, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3886

Idaho’s statewide seasonally adjusted annual average unemployment rate remained at 2.8 percent for 2018 according to benchmarked numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

BLS’ annual benchmark process is conducted in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Labor and includes re-estimations based on updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau, BLS and other sources.

Idaho’s annual average total labor force increased by 2.6 percent between 2017 and 2018 to 856,795. Total employment increased by 3.1 percent and the total number of unemployed dropped 9.6 percent from 2017. Continue reading →

A Deeper Look: Idaho Job Skills by Region

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What are the essential job skills of today and how prepared is Idaho’s current workforce to tackle the skill requirements of future work?

An increased emphasis on making sure employees have the skills they need today is shifting the conversation toward identifying the most relevant skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow.

This analysis draws on information from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database, a useful tool in identifying work competencies in the labor market. O*NET uses surveys of employees and occupational experts to determine the important characteristics and requirements of more than 900 occupations. Its content model identifies, among other things, the different mix of knowledge, skills and abilities required by each occupation as a standardized, measurable set of variables. This article focuses on just the skill requirements.

What are the essential job skills required in the marketplace?

Skills are broadly defined as strategies and procedures for acquiring and working with the knowledge that comes with experience and practice (Tippins & Hilton, 2010). The O*NET skills taxonomy identifies 35 skills considered necessary for a wide range of jobs and tasks. These skills are divided into basic and cross-functional skills. Basic skills describe the capacities an individual has that assist in the learning process and acquisition of knowledge. Skills such as reading comprehension, writing, active learning and critical thinking are included in this grouping. Cross-functional skills refer to competencies such as social skills, complex problem solving, technical skills, systems skills and resource management skills.

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Idaho Teens Earn National Volunteer Award

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News Release

For Immediate Release: Feb. 26, 2019
Information Contact: Renee Bade

Idaho teens Sarah Picker of Boise and Alexander Knoll of Post Falls were awarded the 2019 Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The award program, in its 24th year, honors young people in each state for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

Picker and Knoll will be awarded $1,000 each, an engraved medallion and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., for four days of national recognition events along with the top two honorees for the other 49 states.

Picker, 17, a senior at Boise Senior High School, has raised and trained four puppies over the past seven years to be service dogs for the Boise chapter of Guide Dogs for the Blind. She became involved after her older sister read a book about a “puppy raiser” and decided to give it a try.

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