Idaho unemployment rates drop in March

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in March, down one-tenth of a percent from February. Although March was the 78th straight month of over-the-year labor force gains, it was the first month-to-month decline in two years. There were 600 fewer Idahoans in the labor force. Non-farm payroll job growth was strong, with an increase of 2.7 percent over March of last year. According to the Idaho Department of Labor, construction, professional and business services failed to meet March’s seasonal job growth expectations. Much of that downturn was blamed on the weather disrupting typical hiring patterns. The number of people 16 years and older looking for work dropped slightly to 64 percent during March. Month over month, Pocatello saw no change in job growth, while the Idaho Falls region increased 2.7 percent. The Idaho Falls market area posted a 2.9 percent unemployment rate in March while Pocatello’s was estimated at 3.3 percent.