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Idaho unemployment drops again |
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April 22, 2017 |
Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate
dropped to 3.5 percent in March, down one tenth
of a percent from 3.6 percent in February.
March marks the 78th straight month of
over-the-year labor force gains. However,
preliminary numbers for March show Idaho’s first
labor force month-to-month decline in two years
with a decrease of 600. With 500 fewer Idahoans
unemployed and 600 fewer Idahoans in the labor
force, the monthly decline in both unemployment
and labor force helped lower Idaho’s
unemployment rate to 3.5 percent.
Year over year, Idaho’s nonfarm payroll job
growth remained strong with an increase of 2.7
percent, or 18,700, from the previous March. Job
increases were spread among most of Idaho’s
industry sectors with the largest gains in
construction at 3,000 jobs, or 7.4 percent, and
education and health services at 3,300 jobs, or
3.3 percent.
Total nonfarm payroll jobs dropped by 2,200 in
March to 709,100 as month-to-month job losses
were greater than job gains for the second
consecutive month. Job gains in trade,
transportation and utilities, manufacturing,
government and information were offset by losses
in professional and business services,
construction, financial activities, leisure and
hospitality, education and health services,
natural resources and other services.
Construction and professional and business
services failed to meet March’s seasonal job
growth expectations as the western U.S.
precipitation conditions disrupted typical
hiring patterns. Combined, professional and
business services and construction lost 2,500
jobs because of fewer hires than typically
expected for March.
Idaho’s labor force participation rate – the
percentage of people 16 years and older with
jobs or looking for work – dropped slightly to
64 percent, down from February’s 64.1 percent.
More than 23,600 Idaho jobs were posted online
in March according to the Conference Board, with
4,200 of those positions classified by
department analysts as “hard-to-fill.” Health
care-related jobs accounted for 14 percent of
Idaho’s hard-to-fill jobs and include
physicians, surgeons, psychiatrists,
occupational and physical therapists, and
support positions. Registered nurses and truck
drivers maintained their perpetual first and
second spots for the largest number of
hard-to-fill jobs based on the volume of
listings.
Annually, unemployment insurance benefit
payments were up 6 percent - from $2.44 million
a year ago to $2.57 million for March of this
year - while the number of claimants grew by 2.2
percent to 8,300 from a weekly average of 8,100
a year ago.
The Lewiston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
experienced the strongest seasonally adjusted
over-the-year job growth with an increase of 4.7
percent, or 1,300 jobs. Boise MSA followed with
an increase of 3.5 percent, or 10,700 jobs.
Month over month, Pocatello saw no change in job
growth while Boise jobs declined by 700.
Together, the remaining MSAs saw an increase of
1,000 jobs: Coeur d'Alene, up 2.6 percent; Idaho
Falls, up 2.7 percent; and Lewiston, up 1.3
percent.
Twenty-two of Idaho’s 44 counties had
unemployment rates above the state rate. Madison
County continued to experience the lowest
unemployment rate at 2.1 percent. Six counties
experienced rates above 6 percent: Clearwater,
at 9 percent; Adams, at 7.1 percent; Shoshone
and Lewis, at 7 percent each; Benewah, at 6.9
percent; and Lemhi, at 6 percent.
Details on Idaho’s unemployment picture can be
found at http://lmi.idaho.gov/. |
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