Idaho’s May Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 2.8 Percent

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 21, 2019
Information Contact: Craig Shaul (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Steady Nonfarm Job Growth Continues

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 2.8 percent in May, the 18th consecutive month at or below 3 percent.

An additional 1,622 people made themselves available for work between April and May, pushing Idaho’s seasonally adjusted labor force up to 871,505. The number of unemployed decreased by 84 to 24,593. Total employment grew by 1,706 to 846,912.

Idaho’s labor force participation rate – the percentage of people age 16 years or older working or looking for work – remained at 63.8 percent for the sixth consecutive month, as job growth continued to match the increase of people seeking work.

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Around Idaho: Economic Activity in May 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

  • TDS Metrocom, a high-speed internet service provider, announced it will be expanding to Kootenai County over the next three years, bringing gigabit-speed internet to commercial and residential customers. The company plans to grow its Kootenai operation in stages, with initial hiring of about 30 employees before ramping up to a full scale of roughly 200 workers by the end of 2022. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Kitchen Solvers – a Wisconsin-based retailer of cabinets, flooring and tiles – has leased a new location in the Riverbend complex in Post Falls and plans to open a new franchise location to serve Kootenai County. Source: Spokane-Kootenai Journal of Business
  • Cereset, a wellness company, has opened a new franchise in Coeur d’Alene. The company uses non-invasive therapies to help patients mitigate stress and improve their sleep habits. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Two new automobile dealerships opened in Coeur d’Alene. Both Amstutz Family Auto and High Caliber Auto Sales opened used car dealerships and full-service repair shops. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • The city of Post Falls announced plans to turn a former thrift store location into a recreation center, which will support community activities and classes including dancing, gymnastics and adult fitness activities. The city expects the outdoor facilities – including soccer fields and children’s spaces – to open in the fall, with the indoor facilities following in the winter. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Openings

  • Mountain America Credit Union in Post Falls
  • Paragon Brewing in Coeur d’Alene
  • Relax and Recover Wellness Center in Coeur d’Alene
  • Newhomes in Coeur d’Alene

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

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Idaho’s Forest Products Sector: Hopeful for Stable 2019

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Forest products, a traditional mainstay sector in Idaho, continues to play an important role in many Idaho communities. Idaho’s forest products sector — logging, wood product mills, paper factories and furniture manufacturing — provided more than 11,700 jobs in 2018. In addition, a few thousand more worked at trucking companies transporting logs, wood products and pulp.

Employment has grown 35 percent from the recession-caused low point of 8,705 in 2010, but it is still 18 percent below its 2006 peak of 14,327 and far below its heyday in the 1970s.

Source: Idaho Department of Labor

The job losses mostly resulted from the impact of technology, which allows a mill to produce twice as much lumber today as it did 25 years ago with the same number of workers and from reduced timber harvests from Forest Service land following changes in policies that occurred in the 1990s. From 1990 to 2000, the timber harvest on federal lands in Idaho fell from 704 million to 149 million board feet.

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Idaho’s April Unemployment Rate Down Slightly to 2.8 Percent

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 17, 2019
Information Contact: Craig Shaul (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Steady Nonfarm Job Growth Continues

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped slightly to 2.8 percent in April, the 17th consecutive month at or below 3 percent.

An additional 1,768 people made themselves available for work between March and April, pushing Idaho’s seasonally adjusted labor force up to 869,968. The number of unemployed decreased by 234 – down nearly one percent to 24,683. Total employment grew by 2,002 to 845,285.

Idaho’s labor force participation rate – the percentage of people age 16 years or older working or looking for work – increased to 63.9 percent.

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JobScape Connects Veterans with Civilian Job Openings

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2019
Information Contact: Jessica Beaver-Nelson, (208) 332-3570
ext. 4415

Veterans can now find Idaho jobs and training opportunities directly related to their military skills and service at labor.idaho.gov/jobscape.

JobScape allows job seekers and others to learn more about an occupation’s hourly and annual wages, worker demand, current employment numbers, annual job openings, and it provides a direct link to current, relevant job listings. Searches can be made statewide or by region.

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Idaho Population Shift from Rural to Urban Counties Continued in 2018

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In-Migration Accounted for 73 Percent of Idaho’s Population Increase

Idaho’s population continued to become more urbanized from mid-2017 to mid-2018, with nearly 73 percent of the growth coming from outside the state, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows. The data provides additional detail at the county level to the January release that showed Idaho’s 2.1 percent population increase tied with Nevada as the fastest-growing state in the nation.

The Boise Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population grew by 2.9 percent – the eighth fastest among the nation’s 383 other MSAs. The five counties that comprise the Boise MSA – Ada, Boise, Canyon, Gem and Owyhee counties – increased by 20,346 people accounting for 58 percent of the state’s total increase of 35,304. The concentration of more than half of Idaho’s growth in the Boise MSA typifies the continued steady shift toward urbanization of the state’s population from rural to urban counties.

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Job Seekers Invited to Employment and Apprenticeship Fair in McCall

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 6, 2019
Information Contact: Julie Heidemann (208) 634-7102, ext. 3090

The Idaho Department of Labor’s McCall local office is holding a Spring Employment and Apprenticeship Fair from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, in the Idaho First Bank Community Room, 475 Deinhard Lane.

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Around Idaho: Economic Activity in April 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

  • Post Falls based manufacturer Quest Integration Inc. leased a new facility in the Tedder Office Park and plans to expand its 3D printing operations with the new space. Source: Spokane-Kootenai Journal of Business
  • Washington-based Crawl Space Cleaning Pros has leased warehousing space in Post Falls and is in the process of opening its first Idaho location. The company specializes in environmentally friendly cleanup and insulation of crawl spaces. Source: Spokane-Kootenai Journal of Business
  • After a series of public hearings, the Coeur d’Alene Panning Commission approved plans for a new apartment complex in the city’s Riverstone development. The new complex will feature five-story apartment blocks as part of the city’s recent move toward higher-density construction. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Kootenai County released a proposed update of its comprehensive plan, titled Keeping Kootenai, for community input. In 2010, the county released a strategic plan which consisted of 347 different goals and policy statements, which county officials said were difficult to interpret and implement. The new strategic plan is designed to be simplified and streamlined for ease of implementation. 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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Idaho Construction Employment Building Back to Pre-Recession Level

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The level of construction activity is one of many indicators that signal the health of an economy. Currently, Idaho’s scenery is dotted with construction projects ranging from heavy construction infrastructure ventures to commercial buildings to single- and multi-family homes and residential housing projects.

This was not the case after the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009) squelched Idaho’s strong housing industry, resulting in a loss of almost 23,000 jobs based on quarterly employer reports to the Idaho Department of Labor. Construction was one of the hardest hit industries during that time and continues to rebuild in all six Idaho regions.

Idaho’s construction industry has grown by 127 percent from 1991-2018. It has experienced more periods of growth than downturns in jobs since 1991, as shown in Chart 1.

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Job Fair Focuses on Job Seekers with Disabilities

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2019
Information Contact: Stacey Hanlon (208) 457-8789 ext. 3947

The Idaho Department of Labor Discovery Job Fair will be held May 1, 2019, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Kootenai County Department of Labor local office, 600 N. Thornton St. in Post Falls. The event is tailored specifically for job seekers with disabilities.

Employers recruiting at the Discovery Job Fair currently employ people with disabilities or are open to hiring from this pool of job seekers.

Job applicants are encouraged to bring a resume, dress to meet potential employers and be prepared to speak directly with company recruiters and HR personnel. The event is free to attend.

Businesses interested in recruiting at this event and customers with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation to participate can contact Stacey Hanlon at (208) 457-8789 ext. 3947. To access the Idaho Relay Service for the deaf and hard of hearing, dial 711.

Interviewing tips from the Department of Labor are online at labor.idaho.gov.

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