Jobless rate inches upward

How you feel about the region’s job market heading into the holiday season probably depends on which side of the hiring table you’re sitting.

"Our evaluation is that the job market is currently very healthy for job seekers," Sam Wolkenhauer, a regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor, said. "We are routinely observing that the number of open positions is much higher than the number of job seekers.

“Conditions are tight for employers, specifically those looking for skilled workers in the trades."

In Bonner County, rates ticked slightly from September to October, going from 3.7 to 3.8 percent. Boundary County saw rates increase slightly as well, going from 3.8 to 4.1 percent, according to Department of Labor statistics.

In Kootenai County , the unemployment rate also increased slight, going from 3.5 percent in September to 3.6 in October, according to a Labor report released last Friday.

"This is due to an increase in the number of job seekers," Wolkenhauer said. "Employment increased slightly from September to October, but this increase was outweighed by the number of new job seekers. It’s important to note that while the number of people counted as unemployed increased, these are predominantly people who are newly entering the labor market to look for jobs, not people who lost their jobs."

At the state level, a surge in the number of Idahoans 16 and older working or looking for work in October increased the pool of available workers and pushed the unemployment rate up to 2.9 percent, according to the report.

While October’s one-tenth of a percentage point increase in unemployment was the first increase in eight years, the addition of 4,850 people to the labor force was one of the largest monthly increases on record and helped move the state’s labor force participation rate up to 63.5 percent.

The nation's jobless rate dropped a tenth of a percent from 4.2 in September to 4.1 in October.

Total employment in Idaho grew by another record-setting increase of 4,246 in October to 804,924, while the total number of unemployed increased by 604 to 23,622.

"Job growth in six industry sectors — construction, trade and transportation, financial activities, education and health, leisure and hospitality and other services beat five-year average expectations with an increase of 4,500 jobs, driving non-farm payrolls up .5 percent to 719,400," the report states.

Natural resources, manufacturing and information met seasonal expectations with no net change in jobs, while only two sectors — professional and business services and government — shed a total of 900 jobs.

Month over month, the Boise, Idaho Falls and Pocatello Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) exceeded seasonal expectations with a collective increase of 1,600 jobs, while the Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene MSAs saw no change.

The unemployment rates in 22 of Idaho’s 44 counties were above the state rate in October. Three counties were at or above 5 percent: Shoshone, 6.1 percent; Clearwater, 5.7 percent; and Lewis, 5.2 percent. Madison County’s unemployment rate remained the lowest at 2 percent.