Idaho No. 1 in job growth

Year-over-year job growth in Idaho for the last 12 months was greater than in any other state.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Statistics, Gem State employment increased by 3.6 percent from March 2015 to last month. During that time, Idaho added 24,000 workers to its employment pool, bringing the state’s total number of employed to 691,800. The data is seasonally adjusted and does not include farm jobs.

Northwest states fared well across the board, with Oregon and Utah tied for second place at 3.3 percent job growth, and Tennessee and Washington tied for third with 3.2 percent.

Idaho is among 35 states that saw statistically significant job growth over the year. The largest job increases among those states occurred in California, Florida and Texas. California recorded 420,800 employed last month, reflecting 2.6 percent job growth.

North Dakota and Wyoming recorded the most significant employment decreases. North Dakota’s employment pool dropped by 20,700 reflecting a 4.5 percent decrease. With a 3.2 percent decrease, Wyoming lost 9,300 jobs.

In recent months, Idaho has repeatedly outpaced other states in its 12-month percent change in number of jobs. The state’s year-over-year percentage of job growth was 3.9 percent in January, 4.2 percent in November and 3.8 percent in October.