Idaho unemployment inches up

October marked the third straight month-to-month increase in unemployment, state Department of Labor officials reported Friday.

Idaho unemployment hit 9.1 percent in October compared to 9 percent in September and 8.8 percent in October 2009.

Idaho Department of Labor spokesman Bob Fick said officials a year ago expected unemployment to stay around 9 percent for some time. Idaho hasn’t experienced the job growth seen recently nationwide .

Nationwide unemployment stayed at 9.6 percent from September to October.

Fick said, “There has been some evidence nationally that there is some pickup in the employment picture, that things are starting – slowly as they might be – to pick up. We don’t see that here. Our job situation for the last six months has been pretty flat.”

Idaho was closing the year-over-year gap in job loss until April, he said. Since then, job totals have been around 1 percent below the year-earlier month. The Idaho labor department expected the state to report a one-year gain in jobs by the end of 2010.

“But that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen till next year,” he said. “We are still looking for whatever it’s going to be to get the economy in Idaho rolling.”

Idaho’s civilian labor force shrank by 300 from September to October, to 756,200. Employment dropped from 688,600 to 687,000.

The labor department reported private businesses shed 5,300 jobs from September to October, and that only transportation and education avoided a seasonal decline.

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One Response to “Idaho unemployment inches up”

1. Bill Says:
   November 7th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

   The Boise Metro still shows over 10,750+ active house listings; the state will have a min $350 million deficit upcoming; Idaho will still be 49th in per pupil public school investing along with those supermajority school bond requirements, while Mike-the-Moyle just gave a new public-ed hit list heads-up at a private gathering in Eagle….and for any Idaho city to run its own public utility company, airport, or hospital the entire rest of the state must give its permission, AND the constitution must be amended, with the whole concept of local control (i.e. home-rule powers) completely foreign to the state GOP. All this is just for starters.

   Frankly, it’s a damn wonder HP is still around & Micron hasn’t moved their HQ, along with half their Treasure Valley production (Moyle, Denney, Barrett & Co would be ecstatic). And a totally chickens**t (or utterly clueless) news media; good luck Idaho, you’re gonna need it 2011-2015.