POST FALLS - Kootenai County's jobless rate fell eight-tenths of a percent to 8.1 in November, marking the sixth straight month that the number has dropped.

"It's a combo deal," said Alivia Metts, Idaho Department of Labor regional economist. "A drop in unemployment and a drop in labor force were the driving forces that drove the rate down.

"Job openings are up from last year's totals. Most of the activity is in health care and leisure and hospitality."

The county rate is as low as it has been since last January when it reached 7.9.

Idaho's rate in November dropped two-tenths to 6.8, hitting sub-7 for the first time in three and a half years as more than 1,000 idled workers found new jobs.

Benewah County's rate fell from 12.4 to 11.2 in November. The county is among five out of the 44 statewide that still has double-digit unemployment.

Thirty-six counties posted declines in their jobless rates from October and all but Custer County had rates lower than a year ago.

The last time the state rate was lower than 6.8 was March 2009.

The nation's rate also dropped two-tenths to 7.7 in November. Idaho's rate has been below the national rate since September 2001.

Idaho's total employment was up 1,500 from October to more than 722,200, the highest total since mid-2008 and 14,000 ahead of a year ago, as employers maintained payrolls at a stronger pace than normal for November. The number of workers without jobs fell 1,800 to below 52,400, down more than 13,000 from a year ago.

But more than 300 workers dropped out of the labor force in November. It was the sixth straight month the state's workforce has declined, essentially returning to the level it was in November 2011.

Since spring Idaho has lost almost 7,500 workers, the largest continuous erosion of the labor force since 9,100 dropped out more than eight months at the end of 2008 and the start of 2009. The only other contraction worse than the current one was 8,700 lost more than nine months during 1980.

Employers are hiring again, but the pace is slow. The 14,000 new hires Idaho businesses reported in November were almost exclusively for filling vacancies created by firings, retirements or other reasons. At their current pace, employers will hire more than 180,000 workers this year, essentially matching their hires during 2008, the first year of the recession.

In its November report, the Washington, D.C.,-based Conference Board, a business think tank, estimated there were just over two jobless workers for every job posting in Idaho. While still competitive, the employment picture has significantly improved from late 2009 when nearly five unemployed workers vied for every job posting.

Employers in nearly every sector, including construction, kept their payrolls at or above the average levels for the last five years.