April 3, 2024
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Hundreds of people turned out for the Department of Labor job fair in Idaho Falls Wednesday. High interest in jobs begs the question, "What is the unemployment rate in our area?"
Labor Economist Ryan Whitesides says local unemployment rates are actually on trend with those seen across the region. The county sits at 2.6% unemployment while the region is at 2.5%.
"Unemployment remains pretty low in Bonneville County," Whitesides said.
Companies are now hiring in administration, communications, software, I.T., cybersecurity, trucking, engineering, banking, nursing and more. Whitesides says there are certain fields of work with more open positions than people to fill them.
"The regional job postings data shows an uptick in hiring demand for manufacturing jobs," he said. "Health care is highly represented there as is a lot of social services type jobs."
While the local job market is promising, job seekers may have to make compromises based on need and job availability according to Whitesides.
"The job seekers can't be as choosy as they were maybe a year ago," he said. "But, there is definitely still a job for anyone who wants one."
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