Idaho’s total unemployment in May set a record low for the ninth consecutive month, according to a report released on Friday by the Idaho Department of Labor.
According to the report, Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also dropped to 4.9 percent last month. Idaho Gov. C.L. Otter said the report showed that employers have confidence in the state’s economy.
“But my focus remains on improving the quality of jobs available in Idaho, and ensuring that our workforce is prepared to take them on,” Otter said. “This report is great news and very encouraging, but I’m also well aware that we continue to struggle with chronic ‘underemployment’ in Idaho, and my administration is committed to attracting and retaining higher-paying jobs for Idaho citizens.”
Last month, Otter launched the Accelerate Idaho initiative, which is a three-point strategy to enhance the workforce, businesses and communities in the state.
“We are crafting more performance-based standards for workforce training,” Otter said. “We’re investing in more and better professional-technical education programs at our universities and community colleges. And we’re connecting the dots with public-private partnerships that will help make our education system more responsive than ever to the workforce needs of industry.”
The Governor’s Education Task Force is also pushing to reach the State Board of Education’s goal for at least 60 percent of individuals between the ages of 25 and 34 to have a post-secondary degree or a professional certification by 2020.