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Idaho Jobless Rate Hits 2.9 Percent Low In March

Mike Mozart, Flickr Creative Commons

Idaho’s unemployment rate ticked down again last month, reaching lows the state hasn’t seen for more than a decade.

In March, Idaho’s jobless rate stood at 2.9 percent after a sixth-month stint at a flat 3 percent.

It’s a significant bounce back for the Gem State since the 2008 recession when unemployment surged as high as 9.6 percent.

According to the state labor department, more people have jobs overall and fewer are unemployed than they were at this time a year ago.

Not surprisingly, construction saw the biggest gains over the past year at 8.6 percent.

The financial, manufacturing and hospitality sectors all tallied growth of more than 4 percent.

Recently, Idaho led the nation in wage growth, according to federal statistics. But it still ranks towards the bottom of per capita income in the country at about $40,000.

Follow James Dawson on Twitter @RadioDawson for more local news.

Copyright 2018 Boise State Public Radio

I cover politics and a bit of everything else for Boise State Public Radio. Outside of public meetings, you can find me fly fishing, making cool things out of leather or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season.

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