Boundary County jobless rate climbs to 11.8%

On the Friday before Christmas, Alice Hinthorn was laid off for the first time in 33 years as a part-time waitress at Panhandle Restaurant.

The 68-year-old from Copeland wasn’t alone. Hinthorn joined the nearly 12 percent of Boundary County’s workforce without jobs in December.

“They had to cut back,” Hinthorn said.

The Idaho State Department of Labor reported that the county’s unemployment rate for last month was 11.8 percent, up from 11.1 percent in November. Boundary County had the fifth highest unemployment rate among the state’s 44 counties. Adams at 17.5 percent was the highest, while the state’s rate was 6.6 percent.

Boundary County’s double-digit jobless rate can be attributed to the lumber industry, said regional economist Kathryn Tacke with the Department of Labor in Coeur d’Alene.

“(Companies) have been reducing hours and laying people off and having intermittent shutdowns,” Tacke said.

Truss Tek announced when it would lay off about 10 workers in December. Idaho Forest Products in Moyie Springs, formerly Riley Creek, laid off 14 employees last month.

“”It’s just a very bad time for lumber and the wood products industry,” Tacke said. “It doesn’t look like there will be relief in the next few months.”

The state is also starting to see a reduction in government workers.

“Certainly they are doing some belt tightening, which reduces the amount (needed to fill positions),” she said.

She also doesn’t expect unemployment rate to decrease.

“I’m afraid, it’s more likely it will rise,” Tacke said.

As for Hinthorn, she saw the layoff coming. On some days, she was sent home after three hours of work due to lack of business at the downtown restaurant.

She normally works three to six hours, two to three days a week. Hinthorn doesn’t depend on her job to make a living. It’s more for spending money and social time.