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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April 10, 2012

Most County Jobless Rates Going Down, How Does Yours Stack Up?

Idaho’s February jobless rate was estimated at 8.0 percent. That’s lower than the U.S. average and it’s the lowest it has been since September 2009. Recent county-by-county data also shows improvement. You can check out how the jobless rate in your county has changed over time at the Work In Progress data interactive. Surprised by […]

April 6, 2012

Forbes Says Boise Is Second Best Place To Raise A Family

Forbes says Boise is the second best place in the country to raise a family. Second to Grand Rapids, Michigan. The business magazine looked at income, cost of living, school quality, crime rates, and housing affordability to make its top picks. “The relative strength of Grand Rapids’ housing market is enough to push it past […]

April 2, 2012

Construction Numbers Complicate Recovery Picture

Total U.S. construction spending fell in February, according to Census Bureau figures released today. The drop was the largest in seven months. The Calculated Risk blog has posted a couple of handy graphs showing construction spending over time and by category. Idaho has seen a substantial decline in construction employment since the start of the […]

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

Boise’s Rebound, By The Numbers

Boise is among the U.S. cities showing the strongest signs of economic recovery, as we reported yesterday. But that assessment comes with a big qualification: in the short-term, the Boise economy looks strong. Its gross metropolitan product — that is, the market value of goods and services produced in the city — grew at a […]

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 13, 2012

More Job Openings Than Layoffs Last Month

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been compiling interesting data on the number of job openings and job turnover each month. It’s dubbed JOLTS, a handy acronym for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. As of January 31, 2012 there were almost 3.5 million job openings in the U.S. During the same month more than […]

The Broken Link Between Jobs and Growth

As the jobless rate continues to fall, a lot of people have found themselves wondering how the U.S. economy is producing jobs when it’s actually not growing all that much. Planet Money sums up the puzzle with this pithy question: “What’s The Opposite Of A Jobless Recovery?” As background, The Wall Street Journal offers this […]

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 […]