Report: Many Montana jobs pay below living wage- $9.07 an hour for a single adult

About 40 percent of all the jobs offered in Montana pay less than the $9.07 an hour needed for a worker to enjoy a living wage here, a study shows.

The report, called "Searching for Work that Pays: 2005 Job Gap Study," was released Thursday by the nonprofit Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, a Seattle-based group associated with Montana People’s Action.

Bare basics

The group identified living wage as enough money to pay the costs of child care, health care, housing, food, transportation, utilities and a small savings. They included only basic phone service – no long distance or cell phone service – and omitted such things as cable television or other entertainment costs.

The report tallied the costs by state in Montana, Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

By JENNIFER McKEE
Gazette State Bureau

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/11/18/build/state/30-living-wage.inc

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Northwest struggles to offer living wage

In Idaho: 29 percent of available jobs don’t pay enough to adequately support a single person

By Rebecca Boone
The Associated Press

There’s a wide gap between the number of job seekers and the number of open jobs in the Pacific Northwest that pay a living wage, according to a study by a coalition of activist groups.

The regional analysis, released by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations on Thursday, says the economy in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana is failing to create enough living wage jobs for those looking for work.

In Idaho, 29 percent of available jobs don’t pay enough to adequately support a single person without children, the study found, and 78 percent of open and available jobs don’t pay enough to adequately support a single adult with two children.

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3229617?rss

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Study says Idaho needs to create higher-paying jobs

By Sandra Forester and Joe Estrella
The Idaho Statesman

Many Idahoans do not make a livable wage and the state needs to create more jobs with higher pay, according to a committee that studied jobs and wages in Idaho.

The committee organized by Idaho Community Action Network in conjunction with Northwest Federation of Community Organizations and its supporters released the Northwest Job Gap Study Thursday at Nampa City Hall. The study estimated living wages for families in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, the number of job openings that pay a living wage, and the gap between living wage jobs being created and the number of people searching for those jobs.

"We need to raise the living wage. We need to raise the wage for public employment. Businesses that receive tax breaks should be required to provide living wages and benefits," said Bill Whitaker, a Boise State University professor who collaborated with the Idaho Job Gap Steering Committee.

Idaho’s Legislature also should consider raising the minimum wage and creating a state insurance system to drive costs down and a heating assistance program for low-income earners, the committee said.

Full Story: http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051118/NEWS0203/511180325/1029/NEWS02