Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Jun-26 (P)	May-26 (R)	Jun-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	127,580	127,978	129,143
Total employment	121,391	121,915	123,124
Unemployment	6,189	6,063	6,019
Percentage of labor force unemployed	5.26%	5%	5.14%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• All five counties in the northern region experienced slight decreases in employment. Shoshone County saw the largest decrease in employment and an increased unemployment rate by 0.5%, from May 2026 to June 2026. However, the June 2026 unemployment rate (5.2%) remained lower than the 5.5% recorded in June 2025.

Figure 2.

Northern Idaho job postings	Jun-26	Jun-25
Unique postings	5,420	5,135
Days posted	26	28
Number of employers	1,194	1,190
Average hourly wage	$23.45	$22.49
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	51%	51%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The northern region had approximately 140 fewer new job postings listed during June 2026 compared to May 2026. However, the region had 285 additional new job postings compared to June 2025. During June 2026, job postings had a duration of 26 days compared to 28 days in June 2025 as online job postings show signs of being active for about the same periods of time before being filled or removed when compared to this same period this year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jun-26	Postings, Jun-25
Registered Nurses	214	250
Retail Salespersons	202	221
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	159	89
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	150	175
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	103	134
Customer Service Representatives	102	100
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	87	96
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	87	61
Medical and Health Services Managers	86	75
Nursing Assistants	73	51
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Northern Idaho’s June postings show steady demand in core sectors, with healthcare remaining the largest driver even as practitioner roles like Registered Nurses and Home Health Aides declined from last year. Transportation and material‑moving occupations posted some of the strongest gains, especially Truck Drivers and Freight/Stock Movers. Retail‑related postings were mixed, with declines in frontline roles but stable customer service demand.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jun-26	Postings, Jun-25
Healthcare and Social Assistance	846	770
Retail Trade	620	640
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	445	475
Accommodation and Food Services	326	424
Manufacturing	262	218
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	226	218
Finance and Insurance	191	203
Construction	175	151
Wholesale Trade	133	221
Other Services (Except Public Administration)	122	128
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• June 2026 had higher counts of new postings within Healthcare, Manufacturing and Construction. These growth industries were offset by lower new postings within Accommodation and Food Services and Wholesale Trade.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho	Median duration (days), Jun-26	Unique postings, Jun-26
Pharmacy Technicians	45	29
Speech-Language Pathologists	45	27
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	36	53
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	35	36
Physical Therapists	34	62
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other	34	42
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	33	103
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	33	70
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services and Travel	33	43
Fast Food and Counter Workers	32	62
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The most difficult positions to fill by job posting duration were within Pharmacy Technicians (at 45 days) and Speech-Language Pathologists (at 45 days).

Regional news

• The northern region reported 45 average weekly initial unemployment insurance claims and 382 average weekly continuing claims during June 2026. Initial claim volume decreased 14% from the previous month and 20.2% from the 56 average weekly initial claims filed in June 2025. Statewide, weekly initial claims increased 2.5% from May 2026 and decreased 21.7% from June 2025. Statewide continuing claims increased 1.9% from last month and decreased 7.8% from June 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor

Benewah County

• A grand opening was held for the Veterans Outreach Center of Fernwood. Hours of operation are scheduled to be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Source: Idaho Division of Veterans Services and Veterans Outreach Center of Fernwood

Bonner County

• The Selkirks-Pend Oreille Transit (SPOT) Authority established a complimentary bus service to serve pedestrians across the Long Bridge in Sandpoint while repair work is completed. SPOT shuttles depart every 30 minutes from the north and south ends of the bridge and riders can track the shuttle’s location at spotbus.org. Source: Sandpoint Reader

Kootenai County

• The Old European Restaurant plans to open two new restaurants in Kootenai County during the second half of 2026 – including The Old European Express in Coeur d’Alene (in late summer 2026) and The Old European in Hayden (in fall 2026). Source: Old European Restaurant

• Big Tree Construction is planning The Wilder – a new three-level mixed-use building in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The Wilder will comprise 3,000 square feet of commercial space on the main floor that will be leased to Ink and Easel Fine Art Gallery and one additional tenant. Source: Inland Northwest Business Watch

• A open house event was held for the Hagadone Medical Clinic in Coeur d’Alene. Kootenai Health operates the clinic in partnership with the Hagadone Corporation and offers free health services for eligible Hagadone employees and their covered family members. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

• Lakeside Companies acquired The Highlands Golf Course in Post Falls. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Shoshone County

• Kellogg Project Uplift recently received a $10,000 grant from Innovia for improvements to the pickleball courts located near Silver Mountain Resort’s Silver Rapids Waterpark. Source: Shoshone News-Press

• Wallace Street Market will be a new six-week outdoor market creating a midweek downtown gathering space. Local growers, artists, crafters, small businesses, food vendors and live music will be attendance. Source: Shoshone News-Press

Regional openings

• Trinity Family Health & Performance, Bonners Ferry

• Gen Tech Apps technology courses, Sandpoint

• Kingdom Homes Idaho, Sandpoint

• FASTSIGNS, Coeur d’Alene

• House of Brunch, Coeur d’Alene

• The Coral Café, Coeur d’Alene

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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.

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