Idaho's Unemployment Rate Falls Again, Workforce Grows

Idaho’s unemployment ticked down steadily in 2012. But often, that was because more people stopped looking for work and as a result, made the labor force smaller. In December, the state says Idaho’s workforce grew. That hadn’t happened since May.

December’s rate was 6.6 percent, down from 6.8 percent in November.

Still, the Labor Department says the majority of December's hiring wasn't to create new jobs. Instead, people were hired to fill jobs left open by retirements, firings, or other vacancy reasons.

Preliminary numbers show the average jobless rate in 2012 was 7.4 percent -- down from 8.7 percent the year before.