17 October 2015 (14:10 UTC-07 Tango 01)/25 Mehr 1394/03 Muharram 1436/05 Bing-Xu (9th month) 4713

Local news media continue to be confused by conflicting data from the Department of Labor, thinking an unchanging unemployment rate is good.

Here are some reasons it’s bad: A net of 5-thousand jobs added in September but those were mainly the usual education jobs that happen at the start of every school year, so they can’t be counted as a sign of ‘growth’.  1-thousand construction jobs lost in September, this is interesting because at the same time the Dept. of Labor says job growth in the construction industry increased.  The Department also stated that the number of people in The Gem State’s workforce hit a record high of 800-thousand 800 (in a state that has a population between 1.5 million and 2 million), yet stated that only 1-hundred people were newly unemployed and yet also stated that the labor participation rate (as well as unemployment rate) was “unchanged” from the previous three months, and apparently 22% of unemployed people getting unemployment assistance dropped out!

This data comes after the University of Idaho reported a 6% increase in people moving to metro areas to look for work (basically the Boise area is the only metro area) because they can’t find any in the rural areas, and an admission by the Depart. of Education that the immigrant population has become so big that taxpayers will now pay for their English classes!  

Mmmm, immigrants, is that why there’s now a record number of people in The Gem State’s workforce and an unchanging unemployment rate despite the fact people are struggling to find jobs (Like me, in the past five months I’ve gotten five rejection emails saying I didn’t “have the qualifications” they were looking for, and they were all ‘entry level’ jobs! Is it my age or my ethnic status?  Way to go Bannock County! )?  (Blind Bat News does not make any money, I am not paid to write this stuff and I’m not the owner of Blind Bat News.  The owner has been paying out of their pocket to maintain this site because they believe in the ‘message’.  In the past advertisers have ripped the owner off, and now nobody wants to click on the relatively new Donate button and donate!)