11/18/09

The Labor Department released new October unemployment figures that put the state's jobless rate at 9 percent.

The adjusted unemployment figure was released Wednesday. The
Labor Department's seasonally adjusted rate is a tenth of a
percent higher than the state forecast released earlier this month.

Overall, the state estimates that a record 67,800 Idaho workers
are out of work, with total employment dropping below 686,000, the
lowest since February 2005.

The last time Idaho's unemployment rate was at 9 percent was in 1983.

The state's steady jobless rate has also taken a toll on the
unemployment insurance trust fund. Since December 2007, the fund
has paid out a record $558 million in state and federal benefits to
more than 100,000 claimants.


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APNP-11-18-09 1744MST<