Boise area looks prime for grads

NAMPA, Idaho – Recent high school and college graduates in southwest Idaho will enter a job market that officials say is one of the best they’ve seen for job seekers in more than three decades.

“The local job market is really pretty good for people who just graduated,” said Dick Rapp, director of the Career Center at Boise State University. “We actually get complaints from employers saying they can’t fill their positions because the competition is so strong (for workers).

“We’d rather have that complaint than the opposite one,” he said.

The area has had an unemployment rate of about 3 percent since late last year. About 1,000 of the 9,000 people who tried to get a job in April found one almost immediately.

“Three percent is really incredible,” economist John Panter of Idaho Commerce and Labor told the Idaho Press-Tribune. “If you’re looking for a job, there’s a job out there. They might not always meet the criteria you’re looking for, but the jobs are there.”

Emily Gillman is scheduled to finish her graduate studies this summer and has already landed a job at Prospect Elementary in Meridian.

“It was easy for me, but I worked really hard,” she said. “And I had a marketable niche.”

Panter said college graduates can expect to make from about $13 an hour for a teacher to about $30 for an engineer. Nurses, skilled construction workers, and civil engineers all have opportunities.

“There are jobs available,” Panter told the Associated Press on Monday. “But there’s also a lot of competition.”

He also said skilled construction workers are in demand, especially welders.

Among high school graduates, Panter said summer jobs in the $7 to $9 range per hour are available, with dependable workers getting up to $10 an hour doing construction.

“If they’re willing to work and get after it there are some good opportunities out there,” Panter said.

Travis Guy is set to graduate from Albertson College of Idaho in early June. A Colorado native, he has already landed a job with Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to supervise environmental and wildlife research.

“It will give me great experience in research and also supervising,” said Guy, who is considering graduate school. “Employers look to see if you’ve had previous experience and if that fits the needs (of the employer).”

Alex Zamora is scheduled to graduate from Albertson College next month with degrees in politics, economics, theater and history. He’s started applying for event coordinator jobs in the Boise area, and said he hopes some part-time experience he’s had will pay off.

“I think that’s why it’s so hard for graduates to get jobs,” he said. “The most applicable part is the experience you can bring to the table.”