Tracking Idaho's Unemployment Rate

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Do you remember Idaho’s unemployment rate just as the recession was being noticed? It was three percent.

The National Bureau of Economic Research said the great recession started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.

Since those declarations, Idaho’s unemployment rate climbed to its peak of 8.8 percent in August 2010. By August 2011 it had dropped to 8.4 percent, and by August 2012 it was down to 7 percent.

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December 28, 2011

In Job Recovery, Idaho Falls Short

Idaho is among the states where employment has dropped most significantly compared to its pre-2009 peak level, as this interactive graphic from The New York Times shows. The accompanying article points out that the drop in employment has been most dramatic in some of the states that experienced the greatest fluctuations related to the housing […]

December 23, 2011

Governor Otter: New Health Care Law Hurts Idaho Job Creation

At Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s annual State of the State Address last January he said federal programs, like the Affordable Care Act hurt local job creation. “For businesses, economic and financial uncertainty caused in large part by misguided federal programs and policies are undermining confidence in the marketplace. Employers have no idea what it will cost […]

December 20, 2011

Idaho Senate Pro-Tem: The Key to Job Creation is a Stable Tax System

The Idaho Legislature convenes January 9th. In advance of the session, we interviewed several legislative leaders and asked them about Idaho’s economy and what the state could be doing to boost growth and job creation. Sen. Brent Hill (R-Rexburg) is Senate President Pro-Tem. Hill joined the Idaho legislature in 2001. His colleagues voted him President […]

December 19, 2011

Governor Otter: Every Generation Deals with Joblessness and We Live Through It

As we previously reported, Idaho is one of a handful of states where the number of people without jobs has increased since the official end of the recession. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has ticked down in recent months, but there are still at least 65,000 people out of work. Tens of thousands more […]

Jobless in Idaho: A Mix of Emotions for One College Grad

In our first Jobless in Idaho story, we introduced you to Justy Thomas. She’s 38 years old and graduated from Boise State University last Friday with a degree in Human Resources and Business Management. She’s unemployed. That’s why she enrolled in college four years ago. Now, she looks forward with mixed emotions. We caught up […]

December 16, 2011

Idaho’s Jobless Rate Posts Largest One-Month Decline in 28 Years

The Idaho Department of Labor says the state’s job force is growing. Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percent in November to 8.5 percent. That’s the largest one-month decline since 1983. Department of Labor spokesman Bob Fick says today’s news is another indicator that Idaho’s economy is beginning to pick itself off […]

December 15, 2011

Jobless in Idaho: Laid Off Mill Worker Uncertain of His Future

“I’ve got my education and hoped I could ride that out until I retired.”

December 13, 2011

Jobless in Idaho: Veterans Look For Work After War

“I’m a team player. That’s all there is to it. I’m just hoping they’ll give me the chance.”

December 9, 2011

Medicaid Cuts May Prove Hard to Reverse

Medicaid service providers and advocates for people who receive Medicaid voice many concerns about the nearly $35 million cut in state spending approved by the Idaho Legislature early this year. Underlying their anxiety about provider layoffs and service reductions for adult Medicaid recipients is the fact that all of the changes approved in the last […]

December 8, 2011

Idaho’s Medicaid Program by the Numbers

To understand the challenges Idaho’s Medicaid program has faced in recent years, it’s important to understand the numbers. As we noted in earlier reporting, Medicaid enrollment has grown by more than 20 percent since 2008. Source: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare The result is greater spending. As the graph below illustrates, state Medicaid expenditures […]