Idaho has a relatively high rate of self-employed workers at 12.1 percent compared to the nation’s 9.7 percent to rank sixth among the 50 states.
A nationwide survey of small business owners in June 2014 ranked Idaho the second friendliest state for small businesses. Neighboring Utah was first. The survey found Idaho had the highest share of entrepreneurs who receive their primary income from their businesses, and the state had the second highest share of business startups. Continue reading
The education level of Idaho’s workforce rose steadily after World War II as more youth completed higher levels of education than previous generations and replaced retiring workers with less education.
Educational levels have grown more slowly in the past couple decades, and today’s retirees have roughly the same educational level as the young adult population of the generation preceding them. Continue reading
Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.
The education people receive and the skills they attain greatly influence their economic well-being, but successfully navigating the labor market is no simple task, and understanding the history of eastern Idaho’s labor market, its current growth and the specific industries that are growing can make it easier.
Recent History
After several years of slow growth, the U.S. labor market appears to be picking up. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 295,000 increase in February’s nonfarm payroll employment, marking the 12th straight month payrolls grew by more than 200,000 – the first time since a 19-month run in 1993 to 1995. Continue reading
The depth of the recession and a slow early recovery nearly doubled the percentage of Idaho workers who had jobs and were still receiving government assistance through Medicaid and other programs for the low income and disabled.
In jumping from 2 percent in 2008, or about 14,400 of the 727,000 employed, to 3.6 percent in 2012, or about 25,700 of 711,000 employed, Idaho still had one of the nation’s lowest percentages of workers on welfare, even with the state’s comparatively low wages. According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Idaho ranked 40th among the states and the District of Columbia in 2012, up from 49th in 2008. Only Nevada at 1.4 percent and Virginia at 1.8 percent had lower percentages of workers on welfare in 2008.
Nationally, the percentage of workers receiving assistance rose from 3.9 percent in 2008 to 5.4 percent in 2014.
Five Idaho Department of Labor employees were recently recognized with Outstanding Service Awards.
Nominated by fellow staff members, these exceptional employees were chosen based on the extra care they put into their work and their drive to improve the communities where they live and work.
“It is obvious to me our employees care deeply about their work, the people they work with and their communities, well beyond any normal requirements or expectations,” said Director Ken Edmunds.
So what is all the fuss over experience – and why do employers set it as a requirement for various positions they wish to fill?
How do I get experience – and even more importantly, how can I break into a field if I don’t have traditional experience in that field?
Why do employers ask for experience when they hire?
If you are changing careers or coming out of school, these questions are likely on your mind. So let’s look first at what employers are really asking for when they experience.
One thing we know about learning is that actively participating in an experience is the ultimate teacher. You may learn about things, but until you actually do the tasks necessary to accomplish something, your ability has limits. We also know that many mistakes happen early while the person is in a learning curve. So employers use experience as a general indicator of a candidate’s ability to do a job.
Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.
With unemployment rates down to levels not seen since the start of the recession and job growth on the rise, job seekers are becoming more strategic when looking for work and seek jobs in demand
Overwhelmingly, the health care sector and its occupations top every ranking — growth, number of jobs in the economy, annual openings and highest wages, according to the Idaho Department of Labor’s latest long-term state and regional job projections through 2022 regional projections which look at pay and growth prospects.
The Idaho Department of Labor is launching a new IdahoWorks on Monday, June 15. IdahoWorks is the free online system job seekers use to find jobs, create resumes and profiles that can be matched to employers and career exploration options.
In order to launch the new system, the job search, job posting and the unemployment insurance systems will be temporarily unavailable starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 until 7 a.m. Monday, June 15. Read our FAQs for unemployment insurance claimants for more information on how the downtime affects the filing process.
Q. What is the new IdahoWorks?
A. It is a user-friendly Web-based workforce development system that connects job seekers to jobs, employers to qualified talent and workforce professionals to tools that improve efficiency and employment outcomes. It is powered by the America’s Job Link Alliance. Continue reading