Idaho Unemployment Rate Drops to 4 Percent for October

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — State officials say Idaho's unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percent to 4 percent in October as construction jobs increased during a month when they normally decline.

The Idaho Department of Labor on Thursday says job growth in October was the strongest for that month in a decade. Construction jobs grew 1.9 percent, running counter to a normal seasonal decline of half a percent typically seen in October. Nonfarm jobs increased by 1.2 percent.

The state agency also says that the percentage of people 16 years and older with jobs or looking for work grew to 64.2 percent in October. That's an increase from the 64.1 percent recorded in the previous four months.