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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January 31, 2012

Where the Jobs Are (and Aren’t) in Idaho

The big employers in Idaho just keep getting bigger. Most of the top companies and government agencies five years ago have managed to either retain or expand their workforce, according to a new StateImpact analysis of data provided by the Idaho Department of Labor. St. Luke’s Health Systems saw the largest growth, with its workforce […]

January 30, 2012

Private vs. Public: Who Writes More Paychecks in Your County?

Who writes the most paychecks in your county — a government entity or a private company? The answer might surprise you. Take a look at our interactive map to see who has the largest workforce in your county.

January 27, 2012

A Young Refugee Searches For A Place In Idaho’s Reshaped Economy

In the last few years, more than 4,000 refugees have found their way to Idaho. They’ve come from Africa, and from East and South Asia. Most came to Boise. For years, the city’s strong economy, good quality affordable housing and supportive community created an especially favorable environment for refugee resettlement. Now, the recession has shifted […]

January 26, 2012

The Recession and its Effects on Refugee Resettlement

Idaho residents know well the reversal of fortune the state has seen since the start of the recession. The state, which not so long ago had the fastest growing economy in the nation, has been hit hard. In a broadcast story tomorrow, we’ll look at how Idaho’s economic troubles have affected the state’s refugee population, […]

January 24, 2012

Northwest States Coping with Government Employee Layoffs

This story is a collaboration between StateImpact Idaho and Northwest News Network. Contributing reporters are Emilie Ritter Saunders, Chris Lehman and Austin Jenkins. Across the Northwest, government agencies and schools have laid off thousands of workers. Just like corporate downsizing, those public sector job losses have a human and an economic impact. Northwest States Coping […]

January 23, 2012

A County-by-County Look at Idaho’s Jobless Rate

As we reported Friday, Idaho’s jobless rate ticked down one-tenth of a percent to 8.4 for the month of December. Because of last week’s snowstorm, the Idaho Department of Labor didn’t have county-by-county data immediately available, but now it’s here. The department reports the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped in 27 of Idaho’s 44 counties […]

January 20, 2012

Idaho’s Jobless Rate Drops Slightly in December

Idaho’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest level in nearly three years. The Department of Labor reports the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked down one-tenth of a percent to 8.4 for the month of December. Idaho’s jobless rate hit a record high of 9.7 percent in December 2010. Those gains mark the largest year-over-year […]

January 19, 2012

Super 1 Foods to Hire 80 for its Bonners Ferry, Idaho Store

The Idaho Business Review reports a small north Idaho town is getting a new grocery store and about 80 new jobs. In November, Super 1 Foods broke ground on a 50,000 square foot grocery store that’s scheduled to open in Bonners Ferry in June. IdahoBusinessReview.com reports the new store will lower Boundary County’s unemployment rate […]

January 12, 2012

Nearly 1,000 Idaho State Employees Laid-Off Since 2007

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter said Idaho will not and has not faced “staggering” state employee layoffs like many other states have during his annual State of the State address delivered Monday. But what does “staggering” mean? Idaho has laid-off 928 people over the last five years. The state’s total workforce has averaged about 24,700 employees […]

January 2, 2012

Democrats, Republicans Working on Proposals to Boost Idaho Job Growth

Some of the Republican lawmakers we’ve spoken with over the last few weeks have said the path to job growth in Idaho is through tax relief. Rep. Mike Moyle (R-Star) says Idaho’s tax rates are hurting private sector growth. “We’re higher than every state around us,” Moyle says, “which is not a good place to […]