Idaho employers maintained hiring at seasonal levels in April while the state’s labor force remained unchanged, driving the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate down for the ninth straight month to 7.7 percent.
The rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point from March and was at its lowest level since July 2009.
While the labor force remained essentially unchanged in April, the number of Idahoans with jobs was up 1,700 from March, with total employment at almost 719,000 – the highest since September 2008.
Except for government and professional and business services, which posted below normal job increases in April, hiring in all sectors was normal for this time of year. Construction, retail and trucking all expanded payrolls well above normal in another indication of increasing economic activity although construction and manufacturing payrolls remained at the levels of the early to mid-1990s.
Employment numbers and unemployment rates for Idaho’s counties will be released Monday. (Idaho Department of Labor)
