Work in Progress: Idaho's Unemployment App

Background

Idaho’s unemployment rate continued to go up after the recession was officially declared over in 2009. The monthly jobless rate didn’t start to trend down until recently, and it’s an economic indicator we’ve followed closely over the last few months. Our coverage is driven in two ways: data and the personal stories. This web-based data application combines both.

Our app will let you visualize Idaho’s unemployment rate over time, and in each Idaho county. You can use the map to get specific data for the county you live in. Then, you can use the slider tool to see how the rate has changed in your area overtime compared with the state and national data.

On the left-hand side of the app you’ll find the personal stories we’ve been reporting for the last few months. The series is called Jobless in Idaho. There, you’ll find the compelling stories of people who found themselves out of work and in many cases, with few options. It’s a series of stories we’re updating regularly as each of the people involved find their next opportunity.

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March 30, 2012

Understanding The Impact Of Unemployment

Joblessness has long-lasting effects. It’s a troubling fact, and one that has received particular attention in this downturn, during which the average length of unemployment has surpassed all earlier records. Here at StateImpact Idaho, we’ve touched on the effects of unemployment on long-term earnings prospects through our Jobless in Idaho reporting.

March 29, 2012

North Idaho Miners Find Work After Lay-Offs

Work hasn’t been hard to find for laid-off miners in the Coeur d’Alene area. The Northwest News Network reports about 250 miners and contractors were laid-off at the end of 2011 when the Lucky Friday Mine was shut down over safety concerns. Since November 2011 Kootenai County’s jobless rate has declined more than two percentage […]

March 26, 2012

Laid-Off INL Workers Will Get Help Through Federal Grant

The Idaho Department of Labor will receive a $1,045,000 federal grant to assist Idaho National Laboratory workers who lost their jobs late last year. About 600 people were laid off by three INL contractors, according to Department of Labor spokesman Bob Fick. The department estimates about 175 of those workers will seek help through its field offices. […]

March 23, 2012

Idaho’s Jobless Rate Falls To 8.0 Percent

The Idaho Department of Labor reports February’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen for the seventh straight month to 8.0 percent. The jobless rate has steadily ticked downward, mostly one-tenth of a percent at a time. It’s the lowest monthly rate since September 2009. Still, the department reports 62,500 Idahoans are still out of work. […]

March 12, 2012

Jobless in Idaho: National Guard Soldiers Seek Deployment In Face Of Job Market

The Idaho Department of Labor estimates there are at least 63,000 people in the state without work. That doesn’t include thousands more who are underemployed or have stopped looking for a job. This is the latest story in our “Jobless in Idaho” series, that follows several Idahoans in their search for work. We brought you a […]

March 7, 2012

More Bad News For Idaho Teens: Young Workers’ Pay Takes A Hit

Young workers’ wages have fallen off in the last ten years, a period that a new report terms the “lost decade.” D.C.-based think tank the Economic Policy Institute analyzed entry-level workers’ earnings going back to 1979. “From 2000 to 2011, a period of disappointing overall wage growth, wages actually fell among every entry-level group regardless […]

March 6, 2012

New Unemployment Data Shows A Stagnant Idaho Economy

New numbers show Idaho’s unemployment rate hasn’t significantly improved in the last two years. The rate hasn’t been below 8 percent since August 2009. That means at least 60,000 Idahoans have been jobless since that time. Now, data from the Labor Department show while the number of people out of work hasn’t been as high […]

March 5, 2012

Economy Leaves Few Options For Idaho Teens Who Want, Need Work

The economic downturn hit young people especially hard. Today’s young adults are the “boomerang generation,” given how many have landed back home with parents. For teens, jobs are even harder to come by, and few places are tougher than Idaho. Last year, the state’s teen unemployment rate stood at 30 percent, one of the highest […]

March 4, 2012

For Jobless Teen, Search For Work Is Struggle To Help Family

StateImpact‘s story on teen unemployment will air tomorrow morning on KBSX. Ahead of that story, we’re doing short profiles of a couple of the teenagers who agreed to be interviewed. One of them is Stephen Berry, 18, a senior at Frank Church High School. For Berry, wanting to work isn’t about wanting to earn spending […]

March 2, 2012

January’s Jobless Rate Drops Slightly

The Idaho Department of Labor estimates January’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.1 percent. That’s down from December’s estimate of 8.3 percent. Despite the downward trend, there are still an estimated 63,000 people in Idaho without jobs. Those figures don’t take into account the people who have given up looking for work. Bob Uhlenkott at […]