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Growth, recession, the transition of Idaho’s economy, and the effects of change on Idahoans.

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May 17, 2013

Idaho’s Labor Force Drops To Two-Year Low, Jobless Rate Unchanged

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 6.1 percent in April as the state’s labor force continued to shrink. The Idaho Department of Labor reports 1,300 people left the workforce last month. That’s four straight months of labor force decline. Idaho’s workforce is now at its lowest level in two years. The Department says more […]

May 15, 2013

Bottom Rung: Readers And Listeners Share Their Stories

StateImpact Idaho recently took a run at a big issue: the state’s low wages and its comparatively high fraction of workers who earn the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The full series, called “Bottom Rung,” is available here. Many readers and listeners have weighed in, in some cases sending their own stories. For example, […]

May 14, 2013

Bottom Rung: Idaho Has More Minimum Wage Workers Than 18 States

We know Idaho has the largest percentage of minimum wage workers in the country; 7.7 percent of Idaho’s hourly workforce earns $7.25 or less. The same data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also show Idaho has more minimum-wage earners, in raw numbers, than 18 other states. Many of those states have fewer people living […]

May 10, 2013

Bottom Rung: Idaho’s Expanding Call Center Industry

Call center jobs have boomed in Idaho. The industry has added thousands of jobs in the state over the last decade. EMSI, a Moscow, Idaho-based company that analyzes employment and economic data, projects that growth will continue in the near-term. Data Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.

Bottom Rung: Why Building A Strong Idaho Economy Takes Public Investment

Bob Lokken, CEO of Boise-based WhiteCloud Analytics, is three years into building his new company. It designs software for health care professionals with the aim of allowing doctors and others to interrogate vast amounts of health care data. Lokken founded it after his previous company, ProClarity Corporation, was bought by Microsoft. Recently, he showed me […]

May 9, 2013

Bottom Rung: Construction Jobs Gained And Lost, And Their Place In Idaho’s Economy

This week, StateImpact‘s “Bottom Rung” series is looking at low-wage work in Idaho. We’re asking why the state has an outsized share of minimum wage jobs. Construction employment was the starting point for the broadcast story that aired this morning. The construction industry suffered especially steep losses in the recession. In Idaho, the number of […]

Idaho’s Average Hourly Wage Declines, Median Wage Ticks Up

Idaho’s average hourly wage declined in 2012 according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Idaho’s average hourly wage for all occupations dropped from $18.52 in 2011 to $18.48 in 2012. That slide now ranks Idaho’s average hourly wage 45th among states. Despite that slip in average hourly wages, Idaho’s median […]

Bottom Rung: The Workforce Shift That’s Costing Idaho Good-Paying Jobs

Not long ago, you could hear the buzz of power saws all over the Treasure Valley. It was punctuated by the steady rhythm of hammers and nail guns. More than 10,000 homes went up in Ada and Canyon counties in the two years before the recession hit. Then, the sound stopped. “’08 and ’09 were […]

May 8, 2013

Bottom Rung: Migration By The Numbers

The latest driver’s license data suggests more 20-somethings are leaving Idaho than ever before. The net loss of Idahoans aged 21-30 last year was 149. The data show 11,530 young people moved to Idaho from other states in 2012, while 11,679 left. Source: Idaho Department of Labor | Idaho Department of Transportation The Idaho Department […]

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