Posted: Jul 7, 2008  10:18

If Idaho's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate that climbed in June painted a picture of a state still wobbling in a stagnant job market, Boundary County's jobless rate took a surprising dip, dropping three-tenths of a percentage point to 5.9 percent.

While more than 60,000 jobs were lost nationwide last month, Boundary County had 116 more workers enter in its civilian labor force than the previous month.

One year ago, 4,011 workers were employed in Boundary County - 43 more than were reported last month - when its unemployment rate fell to 4 percent.

"Locally, we're holding our own fairly well in the job market, and optimism is strong," said Dave Darrow, manager of Idaho Department of Labor's Bonners Ferry office. "There have been no major layoffs in the timber industry. As a whole, Riley Creek and Welco have been stable and are talking about putting on a second shift."

Darrow also said that jobs in the retail, tourism and nursery sectors accounted for much of Boundary County's increased employment in June. Even though Idaho employers reported only 17,500 new hires in June - the lowest number for June in more than a decade - Darrow said the state would most likely not be impacted with economic issues as other parts of the country.

"Idaho's economy is fairly diverse, and we're not as dependent on large corporations as many other states and regions are," he added. "We have a fairly stable economy on most economic levels."

Statewide, Idaho's unemployment rate jumped to 3.8 percent. Although June was the 37th consecutive month the state's rate has been below the 4 percent level most economists consider full employment, the rate was 1.1 percentage points higher than a year earlier. The two-tenth increase was the largest May-to-June increase on record.