POST FALLS — Kootenai County's economic engine is revving up for a promising 2014, labor analysts say.

"Many economists believe that the U.S. economy will grow a little faster in 2014," said Kathryn Tacke, Idaho Department of Labor regional economist.

"If that happens, Kootenai County’s manufacturing, tourism and construction sectors are likely to benefit, and the unemployment rate will continue to fall. Job seekers should be able to find more job opportunities this year than last, which was the best year for job seekers since the recession began in December 2007."

DOL released a report Friday that is also fueling optimism.

Kootenai County's jobless rate in December was 6.6 percent, down from November's revised rate of 6.8 and the December 2012 rate of 7.6.

The last time the county's rate was this low was October 2008 when it was 6.5 percent. The current rate of 6.6 is less than the 20-year December average of 7 percent.

The county's average unemployment rate in 2013 was 7.4 percent, down from 8.4 in 2012 and 9.8 in 2011.

"Continued expansion in manufacturing, health care and real estate were the major reasons for the growth," Tacke said.

Manufacturing employment — led by wood products and metal fabrication — added nearly 400 jobs between December 2012 and December 2013 in Kootenai County. That’s a growth rate of 9 percent for manufacturing. In the same period, U.S. manufacturing employment increased less than 1 percent and Idaho manufacturing increased about 3 percent.

Health care in the past year added about 400 jobs — more than half at Kootenai Health. Altogether, local health care and social assistance employment rose about 5 percent in the past year.

Tacke said improved conditions for economic engines such as manufacturing, health care and real estate led to 230 more retail jobs last year for a 3 percent growth. Retail employment over the holidays was also up from 2012, which helped the December number, she said.

Tourism is slowly on the rise. Leisure and hospitality added about 80 jobs in Kootenai County in 2013 for a growth rate of 1 percent.

Tacke said construction employment has been running about 5 percent higher than in 2012 thanks to a mild winter that has extended seasonal jobs.

"The new WinCo, a rehabilitation facility and a few large multi-family housing developments helped boost employment in 2013," she said.

But there are still areas that can be improved, Tacke said.

"Total non-farm payroll jobs in Kootenai County remain about 7 percent below their peak level in 2007," she said.

Kootenai County's highest unemployment rate since the early 1980s was 10.6 percent in November 2010, according to DOL.

Statewide, the job numbers are also upbeat.

More Idahoans found jobs in December than in any other month in 20 years, pushing total unemployment down to 5.7 percent, its lowest level in more than five years.

The nation's rate in December was 6.7 percent, down from 7 percent in November. Idaho’s rate has been less than the national rate for more than 12 years.

Shoshone County's rate was 10.9 percent in December, which was unchanged from November. It is one of three counties statewide with double-digit unemployment.

Benewah County's December number was 9.5, down from 9.7 in November.

Preliminary estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed nearly 3,800 Idaho workers found jobs in December, the largest single-month increase since January 1994.  

Idaho’s unemployment rate has dropped a full percentage point since October, reducing the ranks of the unemployed by more than 7,300 as the labor force expanded slightly in December, the report states.

Employers across the state maintained payrolls of  more than 645,000, the highest December level since 2007.

The state's average annual unemployment rate was 6.3 percent for 2013, eight-tenths of a point below the 2012 average and the lowest average annual rate since 2008.

Employment services, call centers, private education, other services such as car repair and government at all levels made up the limited number of economic sectors where employers fell short of maintaining payrolls at the average level of the previous five years, according to the report.