Native American tribe second biggest employers
Posted by Carl Barnett on 23 Apr 2010 at 09:04
A Native American tribe in Northern Idaho has emerged as one of the area’s biggest employers, with many of the state’s workers finding gainful employment within its casino operations.
The Coeur d’Alene tribe employed nearly 17,000 workers last year, with many of those being employed in the casino offering it brings to Northern Idaho.
The University of Idaho carried out a study that identified the top employers in the state, and found that the tribe trailed only a major medical care provider.
Steven Peterson, an Economics professor who was involved in the study, told Businessweek.com: ‘The real story here is the tribe’s emergence as one of the region’s largest employers. They have diversified and expanded in all directions.’
Around 14,000 people work in the casino that is run by the tribe, and the casino is due to have a massive expansion in 2011, with investment of around $75 million.
The study found that total earnings by the tribe came to around $119 million. The tribe chairman, Chief Allan, told Businessweek: ‘Gaming is our bread and butter, but the tribe wanted to diversify its economic interests.’
Casinos in the United States are suffering a little with the expansion of online gambling, which has seen substantial growth in the past few months.
