Idaho’s Unemployment Creeps Up

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Department of Labor says the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June edged up slightly to 6.4 percent — marking the second straight month the state's jobless rate has crept upward.

Last month, the agency pegged Idaho's unemployment rate at 6.2 percent, ending a string of 21 straight months of steady declines in the number of Idahoans without work. The increase also comes amid a period of strong growth in the economy of nonfarm jobs.

Overall, the number of workers off the job increased by nearly 1,900 in June, putting the total number of unemployed at more than 49,000. The higher jobless rate was recorded across the state. All but six of the 44 counties had higher June rates than the previous month.