POST FALLS - Kootenai County's unemployment rate increased in November to 4.5 percent, up six-tenths of a percent from October, according to an Idaho Department of Labor report released on Friday.

The county's rate in October dipped to 3.9 percent, making it the first time in seven years that the number had fallen below 4 percent.

Despite the rise in November, Alivia Metts, Labor regional economist in Post Falls, said the job market has been improving overall.

From October to November there were 1,442 local job openings, down 280 from the previous month.

"Registered nurses, truck drivers and retail salespersons were amongst the most number of jobs listed," Metts said.

Metts said Kootenai County is 25.5 percent ahead of 2013 in terms of number of job openings.

"The job market is anticipated to continue to bode well for job seekers through 2015," she said.

Metts said she doesn't believe the local market is being saturated by low-paying jobs and giving residents a false sense of hope. Kootenai County's rate a year ago at this time was at 6.7 percent

"I don't think the jobs being offered are all low-paying, especially since registered nurses continue to be the most sought-after position according to the job openings data," she said. "Yes, there are still service-based jobs in need, but there are a good mix available."

Coeur d'Alene's jobless rate increased from 3.8 to 4.6 percent, while Post Falls' jumped from 4.3 to 4.8, the report states.

Idaho's rate dropped from 4.1 to 3.9. It dipped below 4 percent for the first time since early 2008 as the recession was gaining momentum.

The nation's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8. This is the 13th year Idaho's rate has been lower than the national rate.

Statewide, employment continued rising at a record level to nearly 743,000 in November, the report states. A year earlier, employment was just more than 731,000, and the state's unemployment rate was 5.7 percent.

November's unemployment estimate is preliminary and - along with the rest of 2014 - will be revised in March by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics based on additional employment data.

Employers in most sectors in the state maintained payrolls at levels above the five-year average, the report states. Exceptions included retail sales, health care and hotels and motels. Federal and state governments posted larger-than-normal declines in jobs while public education added jobs at a slightly higher rate than normal, the report states.

While total employment was at a record level and unemployment was just over 30,000 - less than half the recession peak - another 1,500 workers left the labor force, which dropped below 773,000 for the first time since October 2012.

Since May, more than 6,600 workers have left the labor force, and the labor participation rate - the share of people older than 16 either working or actively looking for work - fell two-tenths of a percent to 62.9 percent.

November was the first month since June 1976 that labor participation has been under 63 percent. The decline also brought Idaho's labor participation rate within a tenth of a point of the national rate of 62.8 percent - the closest the two rates have been since the depths of the recession in 2009 when Idaho's rate was actually lower.