Getting better all the time

POST FALLS - The average jobless rate in Kootenai County in 2014 was 5.3 percent compared to 7.2 in 2013 and 8.6 in 2012, according to an Idaho Department of Labor report released Friday.

"The job picture is looking better and there are less people unemployed," said Alivia Metts, Labor regional economist.

Metts said the 2014 number is preliminary and could rise slightly in March during the benchmarking revision process as additional data is gathered over the past year.

Meanwhile, Kootenai County's rate in December dropped to 4.3 percent - down two-tenths of a percent from November and more than 2 percent from last year at the same time.

"The reason for the drop (from November) is that the overall job market is looking healthier," Metts said. "We are seeing more permanent open positions being advertised. This, coupled with a drop in the number of unemployed, was enough to force the rate downward."

There were 750 local job openings listed with Labor in December and there have been 415 so far this month, Metts said.

Coeur d'Alene's jobless rate dropped a half a percent in December to 4.1, while Post Falls' number remained unchanged at 4.9, the report states.

For the seventh straight month, there were no Idaho counties with double-digit unemployment rates. Only six counties posted higher rates in December than in November - Benewah (6.9 to 7), Franklin, Butte, Gem, Payette and Clearwater.

Comparing the annual jobless rate averages to previous years, Idaho's average was 4.6 percent in 2014, 6.2 in 2013 and 7.3 in 2012. The 2014 number is the lowest annual average since 2007's 3 percent.

The nation's averages were 6.2 in 2014, 7.4 in 2013 and 8.1 in 2012.

Idaho's rate in December fell another two-tenths of a percentage point to a seven-year low of 3.7 percent. The nation's number fell the same amount to 5.6 percent. Idaho's rate has been below the national mark for more than 13 years.

Idaho employers maintained payrolls at or just above their five-year average, the report states. Total employment edged upward by 300 to reach 743,000 while unemployment fell by 1,600.

The state's total labor force dropped by 1,300 to under 772,000 - the lowest level since January 2012 - reflecting a potential exodus of workers from the labor force as baby boomers continue to retire.

The state's unemployment rate has dropped a full percentage point since August.

Benchmarking will delay the release of January employment estimates and the revised data until March 13.