Idaho employment officials are touting another sign of the state’s strong economy.
The state Labor Department on Friday reported a 2.6% unemployment rate in April. The agency says that’s the lowest rate for April since 1976. It’s also down from 2.7% in March. Idaho’s rate compares favorably to the other Northwest states. Washington was at four-point-one percent in April, Oregon at three-point-seven.
The agency says 912,000 Idahoans are working, up about 5,000 from the month before. It reports there are 25,000 people looking for work and nearly 50,000 job openings. Lewiston is among the fastest growing cities for jobs. Coeur d’Alene was the only metro area in the state to see a decrease in its non-farm job numbers and that was less than half a percent.
At the height of the pandemic in March 2020, Idaho’s jobless rate peaked at just less than 12%. During the six months after that, it fell precipitously, back down to 4% and has continually dropped since then.
