Jump in jobs

COEUR d'ALENE - Idaho outperformed the rest of the country in April, with a surge in hiring dropping the forecasted seasonally adjusted unemployment rate down three-tenths of a percentage point to 9.1 percent.

April was the second straight month Idaho's jobless rate declined, bucking the national rate which jumped two-tenths of a percent to 9.9 percent. Until March, Idaho's rate had climbed steadily from a record low 2.7 percent in March 2007 to 9.5 percent this February.

Retail, food and accommodation were the top performers in Kootenai County, which matched the national average. It was an improvement from the 10.1 percent reported by the Idaho Department of Labor in March.

"I would have to say the food service industry is doing well," said Alivia Body, regional economist in the Coeur d'Alene office of the department.

The prospects are good for the summer, said Steve Wilson, general manager of the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn. Hiring has increased over last year, when Hagadone Hospitality was cautious in its summer hiring, he said.

"We will be adding to the staff," he said. "We have added some, and will be growing."

Already there are good group bookings and expanded marketing is expected to mean a successful tourist season.

Most sectors of the Idaho economy posted April job gains near or above seasonal levels, the Department of Labor reported. The estimated increase of 6,700 lifted total jobs statewide to 602,800. It was the first time the number of Idaho jobs climbed over 600,000 this year and only 4,900 below April 2009, the smallest year-over-year job gap since June 2008.

Only hotels and private education significantly missed the five-year average performance from March to April. Even construction, which has lost more than 20,000 jobs since the housing bubble burst in 2007, added more than 1,000 jobs from March to April, an increase approaching 5 percent and the norm for the previous five springs.

But Kootenai County was an exception, Body said. While manufacturing declined, the 245 job openings in April included motor vehicle operators for the construction industry, sales representatives, information and record clerks, many in the credit remediation field, teachers and special assistance instructors, she said.

"Activity has increased," she said. "Kootenai County is weathering it pretty well."

The nation as a whole got good news on Friday. The economy got what it needed in April: A burst of hiring that added a net 290,000 jobs, the biggest monthly total in four years. It showed employers are gaining confidence as the recovery takes deeper root.

But people who had given up on finding jobs are gaining confidence, too, and are now looking for work. That's why the unemployment rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent and will likely go higher.