Regional news

Southwestern developments for April were prepared by Labor Economist Seth Harrington.

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Southwestern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	497,593	494,453	491,225
Total employment	480,424	477,596	473,414
Unemployment	17,169	16,857	17,811
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.5%	3.4%	3.6%
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.

Southwestern Idaho job postings	Mar-26	Mar-25
Unique postings	12,384	10,680
Days posted	11	11
Number of employers	2,733	2,492
Median hourly wage	$28.89	$29.97
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	53%	52%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Registered Nurses	318	405
Software Developers	305	229
Retail Salespersons	269	273
Customer Service Representatives	247	211
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	237	188
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	217	182
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	196	119
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	195	179
Computer Occupations, All Other	192	136
General and Operations Managers	174	152
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	706	633
Insurance Carriers	446	282
Restaurants and Other Eating Places	414	341
Management, Scientific and Technical Consulting Services	407	331
Architectural, Engineering and Related Services	312	241
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	288	132
Grocery Stores	254	215
Agencies, Brokerages and Other Insurance Related Activities	249	546
Executive, Legislative and Other Government Support	214	214
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	186	185
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southwestern Idaho	Median duration, Mar-26 (days)	Unique postings, Mar-26
Tax Preparers	29	9
Marriage and Family Therapists	27	7
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	27	2
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers	26	15
Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers	26	1
Food Science Technicians	26	2
General Internal Medicine Physicians	25	5
Neurologists	25	8
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians	24	7
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs	23	15
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Regional news

• The College of Western Idaho’s new Micron Academic Building will not just add more classroom space but also expand programs and increase access to workforce training. The 100,000 square foot facility will support business, information technology, cybersecurity and adult education programs. Source: Idaho News 6

• New medical and office buildings, plus a concert venue will soon capstone the Eagle View Landing development in Meridian. The four-part plan starts with a 125,000 square foot corporate campus, the second part is a seven-acre medical campus that will house several buildings, part three is a three-story medical office building and part four is a concert venue. The medical and office buildings are planned to break ground in 2026, with plans to open in May or June of 2027. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Permits are in with the City of Boise for the 11th & Idaho retail and office project. The project will total 192,000 square feet of space, with retail tenants taking space on the ground floor, with offices above. The permit values the project at $27.7 million with plans to begin construction in August. The goal is to have the project completed by the end of 2027. Source: BoiseDev

• Plans for a mixed-use development called 1010 Jefferson St. will include 9,000 square feet of commercial spaces, a parking garage and a day care. Source: Idaho Press

Regional openings

• Black Rock Coffee Bar has opened a new location in Garden City. Source: Idaho Business Review

• Life Time, a luxury athletic country club has opened in Eagle. Source: Idaho News 6

• Açaí restaurant, Oola Bowls has opened in Meridian. Source: Idaho Press

• Wild Birds Unlimited, a birding supply store has opened a location in Boise. Source: BoiseDev

---

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.