Regional news

Northern developments for April were prepared by Labor Economist Lisa Grigg.

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-24 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	133,153	132,630	130,951
Total employment	127,251	126,576	124,673
Unemployment	5,902	6,054	6,278
Percentage of labor force unemployed	4.4%	4.6%	4.8%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• There is no new monthly sub-state labor force data to report. Updated labor force data will be released in May.

Figure 2.

Northern Idaho job postings	Mar-26	Mar-25
Unique postings	5,005	4,831
Days posted	25	25
Number of employers	1,121	1,061
Average hourly wage	$22.46	$22.46
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	47%	49%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Total postings for March 2026 increased from the previous month as listings increased within the industries of Construction and Accommodation and Food Services. Seasonal employer demand also increased from traditional lower wintertime levels.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Registered Nurses	176	246
Retail Salespersons	162	208
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	109	147
Customer Service Representatives	99	92
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	89	43
Medical and Health Services Managers	88	83
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	84	108
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	84	72
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	79	62
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	73	55
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Job postings in March 2026 were noticeably higher than March 2025 within the occupational groupings of food preparation, production and transportation and material moving. Healthcare support occupations had slightly lower levels of job postings in March compared to February.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Healthcare and Social Assistance	787	856
Retail Trade	581	629
Accommodation and Food Services	409	346
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	402	410
Manufacturing	271	263
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	266	232
Public Administration	187	166
Finance and Insurance	185	190
Wholesale Trade	172	187
Construction	139	150
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Accommodation and Food Services as well as Public Administration showed solid gains in posting demand compared to both February 2026 and March 2025. Healthcare and Social Assistance showed a total posting decline over the month but continued to be the top industry by active listings.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho	Median duration (days), Mar-26	Unique postings, Mar-26
Fast Food and Counter Workers	40	59
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	37	48
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	35	27
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	33	84
Waiters and Waitresses	33	44
Physical Therapists	33	39
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	32	41
Construction and Building Inspectors	31	26
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	30	32
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services and Travel	29	51
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The most difficult to fill positions tend to reside within computer and mathematical occupations (at 31 days), construction and extraction (at 30 days), and business and financial operations (at 29 days).

Regional news

• The northern region reported 91 average weekly initial unemployment insurance (UI) claims and 1,245 average weekly continuing claims during March 2026. Initial claim volume decreased 32% from the previous month and 48% from the 175 average weekly initial claims filed in March 2025. Continuing weekly claim volume in the northern region decreased 22% from February 2026 and 30% from the 1,771 average weekly claims in March 2025. Overall, weekly volume for both initial and continuing claims decreased statewide compared to last month and March 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor

Benewah County

• The Veterans Outreach Center of Benewah County broke ground on its new satellite facility in Fernwood. Source: Veteran’s Outreach Center of Benewah County

Bonner County

• Starting in April 2026, Sandpoint City Hall will be closed on Fridays to walk-in customers during a six-month pilot program. Source: City of Sandpoint

• The newly formed Bonner County Joint Information Center is a virtual emergency information center collaboration between Selkirk Fire District, Bonner County Emergency Management and the Idaho Department of Lands. Source: KHQ

• T-Mobile recently added two new 5G sites to expand coverage in Bonner County. Source: KHQ

Kootenai County

• North Idaho College reported Spring 2026 enrollment increased 7.1% since the prior year to 4,570 students. Source: North Idaho College

• The Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation completed the acquisition of Silverwood Theme Park. Silverwood is the largest theme park in the northwest and maintains a seasonal workforce of 1,200 employees. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Hagadone Media Group has taken over Keokee Publishing and media assets, including Sandpoint Magazine, Sandpoint Online, the Town Crier and Keokee Books. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Kootenai Health and MultiCare celebrated the groundbreaking of their new collaborative Prairie Medical Campus. Phase one of the new 30-acre medical facility is expected to be completed in 2028 and will include a micro hospital and three-story office building. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Straightaway Tire & Auto completed its acquisition of Silverlake Automotive. Silverlake Automotive has five regional repair shops and approximately 30 employees. This will be the first time Straightaway Tire & Auto has operated within Idaho. Source: Spokane Journal of Business

• Continuous Composites has relocated to a larger production facility in Coeur d’Alene and expects to increase its workforce by 15-20% through 2027. Source: Spokane Journal of Business

• Advanced Thermoplastic Composites Inc (ATC) was awarded a $6.7 million contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory as part of a development collaboration with California based companies Anduril Industries and Toray Advanced Composites. The goal is to test continuous fiber thermoplastic composites for next generation defense aircraft. Source: Spokane Journal of Business

• Coeur d’Alene Pediatrics will become part of Heritage Health, effective May 1. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Shoshone County

• The City of Kellogg will be completing approximately $2 million in infrastructure upgrades this summer. Upcoming projects include construction of a new city shop and scheduled road maintenance. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Regional openings

• NextGym fitness studio, Coeur d’Alene

• Holy Donuts, Coeur d’Alene

• Grain & Gather Mercantile, Dalton Gardens

• The Thrifty Gift, Dalton Gardens

• Atlas Aligned Chiropractic, Post Falls

• The Velvet Petal Coffee Co., Hayden

• Nikki’s Home Interiors, Priest River

• Backwoods Donuts, Sandpoint

• Aster Garden Center is under new ownership of the Kaniksu Land Trust, Sandpoint

• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, St. Maries

Regional closings

• Sneva’s Affordable Cars, Coeur d’Alene

• GEO Reentry Services, Coeur d’Alene

---

This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY26 as part of the Workforce Information grant (41%) and state/nonfederal funds (59%) totaling $860,595.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.