Jobs grow faster here
Idaho and Utah lead the nation with 3 percent growth rates in non-farm payroll employment, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics July 24. (Graphic courtesy BLS)
Graphic courtesy BLS Idaho and Utah lead the nation with 3.0 percent growth rates in non-farm payroll employment, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics July 24. Graphic shows the percent change in total nonfarm employment per state between June 2017 to June 2018, seasonally adjusted.
COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho and Utah lead the nation with 3 percent increases in non-farming payroll, new federal statistics show.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, total non-farm employment in Idaho increased by 3 percent, or 21,700 new jobs, from 716,200 in June 2017 to 737,900 in June 2018.
Utah grew 3 percent in that same period, with neighboring Washington experiencing a 2.7 percent increase, growth in Oregon of 2 percent, and a 2.8 percent surge in Nevada. BLS analysts marked these changes as statistically significant, but marked increases of 1.7 percent in Wyoming and 0.6 percent in Montana as statistically insignificant. The data is seasonally adjusted.
Idaho Department of Labor regional economist Samuel Wolkenhauer said Thursday the reason Idaho and Utah fared so well is because of the states’ high population growth. Idaho experienced a 2.2 percent increase in population from 2016-17, tops in the nation. Nevada was second at 2 percent, and Utah was third at 1.9 percent. The national population grew by only 0.7 percent during that same period, Wolkenhauer said.
“With very strong population growth, there is growing demand for housing, services, and health care, as well as a growing pool of labor for employers to draw from,” he told The Press.
Idaho’s population growth enabled its large increase in employment rate despite a low unemployment rate, Wolkenhauer said.
“With population growth that strong, it’s not a surprise that Idaho and Utah would be at the top of the job creation charts,” Wolkenhauer said.
COUNTY BOOMING
Wolkenhauer highlighted the 1,860 new jobs created in Kootenai County since June 2017. That amounts to an increase of 2.6 percent for the county, which is better than all but six states across the country, he said.
University of Idaho economics professor Steven Peterson said Idaho’s low cost of living and high quality of life are attractive to migrants from California and other higher cost-of-living locales. That’s why Idaho has been among the fastest-growing states in the country for nearly 30 years.
“That population growth is going to continue,” he said.
For decades, incomes in Idaho had declined due to the loss of high-income jobs in the mining and timber industries. However, the state has come out of that economic transition and emerged with a modern economy based on high tech, service, and retail industries, said Peterson. Professional employment in the legal, financial, technical and scientific sectors in Idaho grew by about 18,000 jobs from 2001-18, he said. Those high-income jobs have attracted migrants to Idaho, and propelled Idaho out of the cellar of most measurements of average wages, Peterson said.
Between a growing high-tech sector in Kootenai County, food processing in Twin Falls, technical jobs in Lewiston with Schweitzer Laboratories, and more technical growth in the Treasure Valley and southeastern Idaho, Peterson said Idaho’s future looks bright.
He added a caveat though: Idaho’s prosperity hasn’t touched all of its counties. There’s a 30-40 percent difference in average wages between more urbanized counties like Ada County and rural ones like Idaho County, he said. Idaho’s low unemployment rate of 2.9 percent also disguises underemployment and Idahoans who have simply dropped out of the labor market, said Peterson.
To see the full BLS data, go to: bit.ly/BLSmap