(KLIX) – The unemployment rate in Idaho has been at or below 3 percent for nearly two years, according to state labor officials.

July’s unemployment rate, the latest report from the Idaho Department of Labor, continues the trend. It was the 20th consecutive month at the 3 percent or below ranking.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up from 2.8 in June to 2.9 percent in July, according to the labor department.

Overall, the state’s labor force “was up 17,996 (2.1 percent), total employment was up 16,814 (2 percent) and there were 1,182 more unemployed workers,” according to a news release from the labor department. “Seasonally-adjusted nonfarm jobs were up 2.8 percent from July 2018, representing a gain of 20,600 jobs.”

Five of Idaho’s industry sectors experienced job gains of three percent or greater: 6.9 percent in professional and business services (6,500 jobs), 4.1 percent in manufacturing (2,800 jobs), 3.9 percent in other services (1,000 jobs), 3.5 percent in financial activities (1,300 jobs) and 3.2 percent in education and health services (3,400 jobs).

According to another source, a think tank called the Conference Board in Washington D.C., online job listings dropped to 27,740 compared with 29,000 a year ago. Nonfarm jobs in the state “increased by 4,100 from June to July for a monthly total of 760,600.”

The department said Idaho’s 0.5 percent nonfarm job growth was the second fastest over-the-month growth rate in the country.

Idaho’s unemployment rate remains lower than the national average. The national unemployment was unchanged at 3.7 percent, labor officials said.

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