Tag Archives: idaho jobs

Idaho Stores Grow Despite ‘Retail Apocalypse’

Idaho retail employment grew 2.5 percent between 2016 and 2018, despite a national spate of store closures and employment declines.

With many retail chains closing hundreds of stores across the U.S., headlines about a “retail apocalypse” have appeared on news sites. Last year, according to Coresight Research, 5,524 stores across the United States closed. In the first eight months of this year, 8,051 closed. This year closures could exceed the record set in 2017, when 8,139 stores were shuttered. Challenger, Gray & Christmas counts 53,248 announced retail job cuts for the first half of this year, compared with 98,563 for all of last year.

Between 2016 and 2018, employment in U.S. retail stores fell 0.2 percent, while employment at Idaho’s retail stores grew 2.5 percent, from 81,265 to 83,330. Between June 2018 and June 2019, retail store jobs in the U.S. fell 0.5 percent, while they rose 1.8 percent in Idaho, adding 1,600 jobs.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s July Unemployment Rate up Slightly to 2.9 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Aug. 16, 2019
Information Contact: Robert Kabel (208) 332-3570 ext. 3886 or Darlene Carnopis (208) 332-3570 ext. 3439

Over-The-Year Nonfarm Job Growth Remains Stable

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up from 2.8 in June to 2.9 percent in July, the 20th consecutive month at or below 3 percent.

An additional 2,834 people made themselves available for work in July, pushing Idaho’s seasonally adjusted labor force up to 876,539. The number of unemployed increased by 400 to 25,061. Total employment grew by 2,434 to 851,478.

Idaho’s labor force participation rate – the percentage of people age 16 years or older working or looking for work – remained at 64 percent.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

Idaho Labor Helps Premier Technology Launch Registered Apprenticeship Program

News Release

For Immediate Release: Feb. 12, 2019
Information Contact: John Russ, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3303

Premier Technology in Blackfoot is the most recent company in Idaho to earn a certificate establishing its first Registered Apprenticeship program. Premier’s new apprenticeship for machinists became registered with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship for meeting national standards.

The idea took root after Premier’s Human Resources Manager Nicole Simpson attended a presentation at Idaho State University, where the Idaho Department of Labor and Idaho Career and Technical Education shared information about how to establish an apprenticeship program and its benefits. With support from Premier’s management, Simpson got in touch with John Russ, the Apprenticeship Idaho coordinator at Labor.

“It was daunting to see all this information about registered apprenticeships and figure out how to put this program together, but the Department of Labor made it very easy,” Simpson said.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s October Unemployment Rate Holds at 2.7 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 16, 2018
Information Contact: Craig Shaul (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 2.7 percent in October, unchanged from September and continuing at or below 3 percent for the 14th consecutive month.

The state’s labor force – the total number of people 16 years of age and older working or looking for work – was essentially unchanged since July at 853,444.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s Projected Robust Job Growth May Challenge Labor Supply

Idaho’s economy has been one of the most dynamic among all the states in recent years. Over the past five years, Idaho has consistently been at the top of the charts in terms of job creation, and only Utah has created jobs as quickly. Recently, the Idaho Department of Labor completed a new round of labor market projections which anticipate that Idaho’s strong rate of job creation will continue into the foreseeable future.

This new analysis forecasts that Idaho’s total employment will reach 840,000 by 2026, up from a 2016 total of about 735,000. This amounts to approximately 105,000 new jobs created in 10 years, which represents a 14.4 percent increase. This indicates that Idaho is expected to substantially outpace the rest of the nation in job creation. Equivalent projections from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected total U.S. employment to grow by only 7.7 period in the same time period (1). Continue reading →

Entry Level Residential Carpentry Apprenticeships Available

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Oct. 2, 2018
Information Contact:  Darren Rux (208) 332-3575, ext. 3074

If you or someone you know is interested in a residential construction career, the Idaho Department of Labor has several carpentry apprenticeship opportunities available in the Treasure Valley.

These entry-level positions are full time with wages ranging from $11.68 to $14.09 an hour.

Apprentices will learn how to use the tools of the trade, work site safety, building, rough framing, outside finishing, inside framing and an array of other construction related skills.

Continue reading →

Post Falls Hiring Event to Feature More than 1,500 Jobs

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Oct. 1, 2018
Information Contact:  Stacey Hanlon (208) 457-8789 ext. 3947

One of northern Idaho’s largest hiring events is planned for Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Real Life Ministries, 1866 N. Cecil Road in Post Falls.

More than 55 employers with at least 1,500 jobs combined are attending the event, which is expected to draw several hundred job seekers. Some jobs are available for immediate hire.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s August Unemployment Rate Declined to 2.8 Percent

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Sept. 21, 2018
Information Contact:  Robert Kabel (208) 332-3570 ext. 3886 or Karen Jarboe Singletary (208) 332-3570 ext. 3215

Over-the-Year Job Growth Remains Strong

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined slightly to 2.8 percent in August, continuing at or below 3 percent for the 12th consecutive month.

The state’s labor force – the total number of people 16 years of age and older working or looking for work – was virtually unchanged at 852,878 people, breaking a streak of month-to-month increases.

Total employment increased by 676 to 828,864, continuing to grow though at a slower rate than earlier in the year. The number of unemployed decreased by 588 people to 24,603.

Continue reading →

South Central Idaho’s 2,500 May Graduates Have ‘Go On’ Choices

The labor force receives an infusion of workers each May after high school graduation. In south central Idaho, early estimates show nearly 2,500 students graduated this spring from public schools in the eight-county area. The final numbers will be released later this year to account for students still completing courses over the summer and those who still plan to graduate by the end of the year.

Finding data on where the graduates end up after the ceremony is more difficult to track. The ‘go on’ rate, or the percentage of high school graduates who continue on to college or community college for degrees or certificates, is an imperfect estimate. Idaho’s rate has hovered around 50 percent, up or down five percent, in recent years. A sizeable portion of the 50 percent who do not ‘go on’ need employment, roughly 1,250 regionally, based on the 2018 graduation rate estimates.

Continue reading →