Unemployment rises in Payette County
Jobless rate hits 6.1 percent
By Jeff Ward
Argus Observer
Friday, November 21, 2008 11:12 AM PST
PAYETTE — Following the national trend, unemployment numbers in Payette County are climbing.
Last year the Idaho Department of Labor reported Payette County recorded an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent — below the national average of 4.7 percent and slightly ahead of the state average of 2.7 percent.
Recent figures from the Idaho Department of Labor, however, show the unemployment rate in Payette County has climbed to 6.1 percent in the wake of layoffs at manufacturing and processing plants. The state unemployment rate is currently 5.4 percent.
The county is dependent on manufacturing and processing jobs. For example, manufacturing and processing make up 23 percent of the jobs in Payette County, where such firms as Seneca Foods, Dickinson Frozen Foods and Woodgrain Millworks propel the area’s economic engine.
Utilities such as Idaho Power, along with Payette, Fruitland and New Plymouth school districts are the No. 2 and No. 3 largest employment areas for the county.
Agriculture, however, continues to be the key piece of the economic engine in Payette County. Agriculture is still the largest employers in the county and has, for the most part, escaped most of the layoffs seen in the manufacturing arena.
As the population in Ada and Canyon counties proceeds to move west, Payette County continues to see an increase in retirees and commuters because the cost of living is lower in small, rural communities.
The good news is the median income for Payette County has continued to rise.
The Idaho Department of Labor’s latest figures show the average annual income in the county is $25,827.
The average annual income for Idaho stands at $31,197.
Jim Smith, with the Payette office of the Idaho Department of Labor said the agency is ready to assist anyone who needs help in finding a job and to answer questions.
“We want to let people know the labor department is here to assist them,” Smith said. “That’s what this office does. It helps people find a job. Whether someone needs retraining, resume assistance — whatever they need to help them achieve employment we have a dedicated staff to help them do just that.”
The Department of Labor situated in Payette has two major job fairs a year — one for teens and one for adults — where businesses from all over the valley converge and talk to qualified applicants. They also put on smaller fairs or expos for just one or two companies at a time.
