(KLIX) – Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for March came in at 2.9%, unchanged from February and the 16th consecutive month it has remained at or below 3%.

Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8%.

Some 1,737 people entered the state’s labor force from February to March, which slightly increased the seasonally adjusted labor force number up to 868,263, according to the Idaho Department of Labor. It explained:

Idaho’s labor force participation rate – the percentage of people age 16 years or older working or looking for work – increased one tenth of a percent to 63.9 percent. Over the year, the March statewide labor force was up 16,797 (2 percent), total employment was up 16,931 (2 percent) and there were 134 (0.5 percent) fewer unemployed persons.

Of note, Idaho’s non-farm jobs increased by 1,900, while trade, transportation and utilities, education and health services and government were the only three sectors that experienced job declines.

Also in March, unemployment insurance benefit payments were up 13.3% from a weekly average of $2,084,900 a year ago to $2,362,800.

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