BOISE, Idaho — In what has become appointment viewing since the first peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho's weekly unemployment numbers were released on Thursday.
Much like waiting for a doctor to come back into the room with test results, Idahoans were waiting and wondering how bad the numbers were going to be.
The Gem State's unemployment numbers peaked in April 2020 when 72,000 claims were filed. Since the spring, those numbers have steadily decreased. For the week ending on Oct. 30, there were about 3,000 continued claims in Idaho, close to where Idaho was at the same week in 2019.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Idaho has the third-lowest unemployment rate in the nation with less than 3% unemployment.
The Gem State also led the nation in two other statistics, according to Bureau of Labor stats released about two weeks ago. Quit rates are the number of people who left their job voluntarily and total separation rates include those who quit, were laid off or their job went away.
The report, which was released last month, broke down the two statistics on a state-by-state basis for the first time, rather than solely on a national scale.
The United States saw 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in August, the highest number in 21 years. Idaho nationally ranked second for quit rate and first for total separation rates for August 2021, meaning more people quit their job in Idaho more than nearly anywhere else in the country.
In July, the number of Idahoans who quit their jobs went from 24,000 to 32,000 in August, a month-to-month increase of 1.1%, second only to Kentucky. Nationally, the rate is 0.2%.
According to data from the Idaho Department of Labor, Idahoans aren't just quitting their jobs, they're changing them. While the statistics are dated now, they continue to support what labor experts are seeing.
"Which is employers have a really high demand for workers right now and they're really having a tough time filling those positions and workers right now are kind of taking advantage of that by quitting jobs and maybe getting a better paying position," Craig Shaul with the Idaho Department of Labor told The 208. "We're seeing that on an increased basis."
Nationally, resignations grew by 21% in the restaurant industry and retail saw a 6% jump in August.
Join 'The 208' conversation:
- Text us at (208) 321-5614
- E-mail us at the208@ktvb.com
- Join our The 208 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/the208KTVB/
- Follow us on Twitter: @the208KTVB or tweet #the208 and #SoIdaho
- Follow us on Instagram: @the208KTVB
- Bookmark our landing page: /the-208
- And we also turn each episode into a podcast on Podbean
- Still reading this list? We're on YouTube, too: