Unemployment in Idaho dipped to 2.9 percent in March, after holding at 3 percent for the previous six months; meanwhile, job growth for the month, compared to the same time a year earlier, showed the fastest growth rate in the nation for second consecutive month, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.

Total nonfarm jobs grew by 3.3 percent for a total of 23,300 jobs, the department reports. Construction jobs showed the biggest growth, at 8.6 percent for an additional 3,800 jobs. Financial activities, other services, manufacturing, and the leisure and hospitality sectors all had year-over-year job gains of more than 4 percent.

The state’s labor force – the total number of people 16 years of age and older working or looking for work – increased by 1,646 from February to March for an all-time record high of 848,097. Total employment increased by 1,963 to 823,423, while the reported number of unemployed Idahoans dropped by 317 to 24,674.