Category Archives: News Releases

Idaho’s March Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 2.9 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 19, 2019
Information Contact: Craig Shaul (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Third Fastest Rate in the Nation for Over-the-Year Job Growth

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March remained steady at 2.9 percent, the 16th consecutive month at or below 3 percent.

An additional 1,737 people entered the labor force from February to March, a slight 0.2 percent increase that pushed Idaho’s seasonally adjusted labor force number up to 868,263. The number of unemployed increased by 141, or 0.6 percent, to 24,918. Total employment increased by 1,596, up 0.2 percent to 843,345.

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

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Explore Career Opportunities in Variety of Industries at April 30 Expo

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 18, 2019
Information Contact: Vicki Raass, (208) 364-7781 ext 3876

Representatives from several industries will be on hand at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa on April 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to give young people and other job seekers information about different careers available in the area.

Explore Your Future career expo provides a behind-the-scenes look at local businesses and highlights careers in health care, public safety, IT, aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, military, energy and many more.

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Hiring Workers with Disabilities Topic of Luncheon Meeting April 18

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 11, 2019
Information Contact: Amy Reynolds, (208) 415-5406

Presentation Prepares Businesses for May 1 Job Fair

The Human Resource Network of North Idaho is hosting an April 18 employer luncheon to address hiring people with disabilities. Discussion will focus on labor laws and how they apply to hiring and accommodating workers with disabilities.

Hiring Employees with Disabilities luncheon meeting will be held April 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Best Western Coeur d’Alene Inn at 506 W. Appleway Ave.

The goal of this presentation is to review compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to encourage and prepare businesses to participate in the Discovery Job Fair May 1 at the Idaho Department of Labor Kootenai County local office.

Luncheon speakers will include Benjamin Earwicker, Ph.D., administrator, Idaho Human Rights Commission; Kara Heikkila, employment attorney with Witherspoon Kelley; Cameron Cushing, vocational rehabilitation specialist, Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Terri Johnson , vice president, Tesh; and Theresa Moran, special education instructor, Project SEARCH.

For more information and to register for the luncheon, visit www.hrnni.org.

Businesses interested in recruiting at the May 1 Discovery Job Fair can contact Stacey Hanlon at the Idaho Department of Labor, (208) 457-8789, ext. 3947 or stacey.hanlon@labor.idaho.gov.

For more information about the job fair, see the Idaho Department of Labor online calendar.

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Employer Workshops Focus on Unemployment Insurance, Labor Laws

News Release

For Immediate Release: March 22, 2019
Information Contact: Bea Murphy, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3523

The Idaho Department of Labor is presenting a series of free, half-day workshops throughout the state about unemployment insurance and labor laws for employers.

The workshops will be led by unemployment insurance specialists, who will discuss updates to Idaho labor laws and help employers learn how to control unemployment insurance taxes. Topics include employee separations, responding to benefits claims, the appeals process, labor law changes, fraud and related topics.

Schedule and locations are:

MARCH
March 27 – Meridian Department of Labor Office, 1090 E. Watertower Lane, Suite 100, Meridian
March 28 – Canyon County Department of Labor Office, 4514 Thomas Jefferson St., Caldwell

APRIL
April 10 – Boise – Idaho Correctional Industries, 1301 N. Orchard St., Suite 110, Boise
April 23 – Sandpoint Edgewater Best Western, 56 Bridge St., Sandpoint
April 24 – Kootenai County Department of Labor Office, 600 N. Thornton St., Post Falls
April 25 – Lewiston Hampton Inn, 2701 Nez Perce Dr., Lewiston

JUNE
June 12 – Idaho Falls Department of Labor Office, 1515 E. Lincoln Road, Idaho Falls
June 13 – Pocatello Department of Labor Office, 430 N. 5th Ave., Pocatello

Supervisors, managers, human resource specialists and others wishing to participate should reserve their space in this workshop by contacting Brad Stadsvold at (208) 332-3570 ext. 3972 or by email at Brad.Stadsvold@labor.idaho.gov. Additional information is also available on Labor’s online calendar of events.

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Idaho’s February Unemployment Rate Up Slightly to 2.9 Percent

NEWS  RELEASE

For Immediate Release:March 22, 2019

Information Contact: Craig Shaul (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

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

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February increased slightly from January to 2.9 percent, the 15th consecutive month at or below 3 percent.

Idaho nonfarm jobs increased by 3,600 (up 0.5 percent) for a monthly total of  750,600. February’s increase was the fastest job growth rate in the nation and the second-largest statistically significant job increase added by any state.

The largest month-to-month industry job gains were in professional and business services (+2.3 percent), manufacturing (+1.3 percent) and education and health services (+0.7 percent). Construction, information and leisure and hospitality were the only three sectors that experienced job declines, shedding a total of 1,400 jobs. Continue reading →

2019 Serve Idaho Conference to Focus on Giving Back

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

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 →

Idaho Labor’s Unemployment Technology Tool Gains National Attention

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

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 http://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

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 →