Jobless Claims Jump to 6.8 Percent

(BOISE, ID) – Idaho’s unemployment claims went up slightly over the past quarter. State labor officials say the jobless rate for August was 6.8 percent, compared to 6.1 percent in April. Still, that’s lower than the national unemployment rate of 7.3 percent. Locally, Oneida County has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at only 3.9 percent. Experts believe more Idahoans are taking second jobs to make ends meet, since many businesses are only hiring part time employees to get around the new federal health insurance mandate.