TWIN FALLS: There are no black clouds on the horizon for employment in the Magic Valley. That’s what Idaho Department of Labor Regional Economist Jan Roeser said following the state’s release of unemployment rate estimates for September. Idaho as a whole, and most Magic Valley counties, had little or no change to unemployment rates from the previous month.
Meanwhile, the local labor force continues to grow — aided by in-migration, new jobs encouraging workers to stay, and higher participation rates, Roeser said. “We’ve got a pretty strong economy out there,” she said. “We get calls from people all over the nation wanting to know what makes us tick.”
At 3.8 percent, Idaho’s unemployment rate stayed constant for the third consecutive month. The state also tied with Washington for third largest over-the-year job growth in September, adding 2,000 jobs between August and September. Twin Falls County’s 3.4-percent unemployment rate was unchanged from August and down just a tenth of a percent from a year ago. The labor force, meanwhile, grew by more than 660 people from September 2015.
Jerome County’s 3-percent unemployment rate was up slightly from the previous month, but Minidoka, Lincoln, Gooding and Blaine counties experienced decreases. Camas and Cassia counties remained unchanged.
The south-central Idaho region as a whole had a 3.2 percent unemployment rate, down from 3.4 percent a year ago. September and October tend to show the highest employment in the region, Roeser said. “We continue to see positive indicators for our area,” she said. Noting the growth that’s occurring, Roeser isn’t concerned that the area may be growing too much too fast. In a press release, the Idaho Department of Labor reported unemployment benefits were up from a year ago by 2.3 percent at $1.19 million. The number of weeks compensated, however, dropped 3.8 percent.
