Idaho unemployment rate drops to 3.6%, remains below U.S. rate

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 3.7% to 3.6% in May, the Idaho Department of Labor announced in a news release issued Friday.

For May, the number of nonfarm jobs in Idaho increased by 2,500 jobs, for a total of 883,400 jobs, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.

Meanwhile, Idaho’s labor participation rate, which is defined as the percentage of people 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for a job, decreased by 0.1%, down to 63.5% from April to May, the Idaho Department of Labor said. 

Meanwhile, Idaho’s unemployment rate remained lower than the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 4.2% for the month of May.

The Idaho Department of Labor said the industries that saw the strongest job growth in Idaho in May included other services, construction, arts, entertainment and recreation, finance, information, and insurance. 

Industries or sectors that showed job losses for May in Idaho included the state government, which was down 6.7%, and the federal government, which was down by 1.4% in May.

Altogether, the number of unemployed Idahoans in May dropped by 477 people, down to 36,825, state officials said.