Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1. Southwestern Idaho labor market indicators (seasonally adjusted data)

Labor market indicators	Aug-26 (P)	Jul-26 (R)	Aug-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	491,923	490,759	493,601
Total employment	474,934	474,734	476,360
Unemployment	16,989	16,025	17,241
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.5%	3.3%	3.5%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• Between July and August 2026, southwestern Idaho’s labor force increased by 1,164 people. Total employment also increased by 200 people. However, total unemployment increased by 964 people, increasing the regional unemployment rate from 3.3% to 3.5%.

Figure 2. Southwestern Idaho job postings

Job posting indicators	Aug-26	Aug-25
Unique postings	33,528	26,034
Days posted	20	25
Number of employers	4,440	4,009
Average hourly wage	$28.49	$28.00
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	51%	54%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Unique job postings increased by 955 postings month-over-month to 33,528 postings in August 2026, while active employers increased from 4,293 to 4,440 employers. Listings became more competitive in terms of duration, decreasing by four days to a median of 20 days. Median advertised hourly wage decreased by $1.60 to $28.49.

Figure 3. Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho

Occupations	Postings, Aug-26	Postings, Aug-25
Registered Nurses	915	881
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	874	358
Retail Salespersons	812	697
Customer Service Representatives	706	570
Software Developers	683	516
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	582	476
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	501	491
Medical and Health Services Managers	446	388
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	444	316
Project Management Specialists	434	286
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Demand remained high across healthcare, transportation and retail industries. Registered Nurses was the top occupation by unique job postings with 915 listings. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers had 874 listings, demonstrating an increase from July. Software Developers, Customer Service Representatives and Retail Salespersons all maintained solid posting volumes exceeding 600 listings.

Figure 4. Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho

Industries	Postings, Aug-26	Postings, Aug-25
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1,613	1,723
Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing	726	238
Elementary and Secondary Schools	569	516
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (Except Convenience Stores)	554	483
Engineering Services	502	574
Other General Government Support	428	434
Limited-Service Restaurants	427	534
Employment Placement Agencies	377	265
Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services	329	324
Commercial Banking	282	268
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals was the top industry by unique postings with 1,613 postings, despite a decrease from July. Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing increased to 726 listings. Elementary and Secondary Schools remained at 569 postings as hiring continued before the school year.

Figure 5. Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southwestern Idaho

Occupations	Median duration, Aug-26 (days)	Unique postings, Aug-26
Personal Care Aides	32	272
Nursing Assistants	30	258
Lawyers	30	157
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	29	582
Production Workers, All Other	29	204
Civil Engineers	29	189
Heating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	29	151
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Drivers	28	874
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	27	205
Stockers and Order Fillers	26	241
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Recruiting focused on personal care, legal and skilled trade roles. Personal Care Aides required the longest median recruitment period at 32 days, followed by Nursing Assistants and Lawyers at 30 days. Specialized hardest-to-fill occupations including Civil Engineers, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Installers and Wholesale Sales Representatives averaged 29 days open.

Regional news

• The Idaho Division of Financial Management projects state general fund revenue increased to $5.93 billion, representing a 4.5% increased rate compared to the previous fiscal year. State Budget Director Lori Wolff instructed state agencies to submit maintenance-level budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Most of the increased revenue will cover non-discretionary costs for public education, Medicaid and state prisons. Source: Idaho Press

• West Ada School District and Middleton School District broke ground on two new facilities, Freedom Elementary and a rebuilt Lake Hazel Elementary campus. Funding for both school construction projects is sourced from state allocations, including House Bill 521, rather than new local tax measures or bonds. The new facilities are intended to increase student capacity and address regional school overcrowding issues without increasing local property taxes. Source: BoiseDev

Ada County

• Micron Technology announced plans to invest $10 billion over the next decade to build a new dedicated semiconductor research facility, Micron Research Labs, in Boise. Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 2027, with the site designed to accommodate hundreds of researchers, foster industry and academic partnerships, and advance artificial intelligence memory technologies. The investment aims to support local employment across construction, education, and technology sectors while expanding the company’s existing domestic research and development infrastructure. Source: KTVB7

• The Idaho State Police broke ground on a new $29 million, 20,000-square-foot forensic laboratory located across from agency headquarters in Meridian. The state-funded facility will expand regional testing capacity for DNA analysis, digital forensics, latent prints and ballistics, while introducing whole genome sequencing capability to the state. Agency officials target completion in January 2028 to increase evidence processing efficiency and address growing demands from local, county and state law enforcement agencies. Source: Idaho News 6

• The Boise Public Library received a $198,950 grant to support teen mental health and wellness programs across its locations. The funding will allow the library system to host specialized wellness workshops, expand quiet study spaces and increase access to mental health resources for local youth. Library administrators plan to implement these community-focused initiatives over the coming year. Source: BoiseDev

• The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the emergency removal of 110 commercial driver’s license training providers from its federal registry, including Idaho Intercheck CDL Testing in Nampa. Federal officials cited connections to over 5,000 drivers who failed required English-language proficiency testing as the basis for the enforcement action. The removals are part of a broader federal effort to address fraud and safety standard compliance within commercial driver training programs. Source: KTVB7

• Meta Platforms officially completed and launched its new 750,000-square-foot data center in Kuna, which was built specifically to support advanced artificial intelligence workload operations. The facility features specialized liquid-cooling systems and closed-loop water technology designed to decrease overall resource consumption compared to traditional data infrastructure. Company representatives indicated that the operational facility supports long-term technical operations while funding critical local municipal infrastructure improvements across the region. Source: Idaho News 6

• The U.S. Department of Education awarded the Idaho Department of Education nearly $4.8 million over three years through the Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program. The state agency will use the federal funding to develop the Idaho Learner Readiness Ecosystem, featuring a student experience portfolio to document skills gained through academic, extracurricular and workforce activities. The initiative aims to enhance student career preparation and support state workforce alignment efforts across K-12 education. Source: Idaho Department of Education

Elmore County

• The City of Mountain Home approved a five-year cooperative agreement with Elmore County to consolidate and maintain local emergency dispatch services. Under the terms of the contract, city payments increased to $100,000 for the first year, with annual labor costs set to increase by 5% through the remainder of the term. The long-term intergovernmental deal resolves previous administrative uncertainty and establishes a fixed annual payment schedule aligned with the municipal fiscal year. Source: Idaho News 6

Owyhee County

• Interagency firefighting crews achieved full containment of the Big Grass Fire along the Idaho-Oregon border after it burned approximately 578,637 acres. Bureau of Land Management officials extended temporary land closures and maintained regional evacuation notices to protect public safety during ongoing suppression repair operations. Fire personnel transitioned their primary efforts toward post-fire recovery work and long-term habitat rehabilitation. Source: KTVB7

Valley County

• The U.S. Department of Defense partnered with Perpetua Resources and Idaho National Laboratory to advance domestic extraction and processing of antimony from the Stibnite Gold Project in central Idaho. The initiative seeks to establish a secure domestic supply chain for military-grade antimony trisulfide, a critical mineral component used in ammunition, defense munitions and national security applications. Federal officials and project partners launched a pilot processing plant to validate refining processes and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources of the strategic mineral. Source: KREM2

• The City of McCall acquired a three-unit apartment property for $1.2 million using its land banking fund to reserve the housing for local workers, retirees and individuals with disabilities. Municipal officials plan to maintain existing rental rates while exploring partnerships with non-profit housing entities to increase the site’s total housing density up to 37 units. This transaction represents the city’s initial land acquisition under its dedicated municipal housing initiative. Source: Valley Lookout

Regional openings

• CapEd Student Success Center, a CWI expansion, opened in Nampa.

• Micron Training Center opened in Boise.

• Idaho Botanical Garden expansion has begun in Boise.

• Boise Airport’s new Rental Car Center opened in Boise.

• Clinical Center of Excellence, a Life Flight training center, opened in Boise.

• Walkin Takos opened a restaurant in Boise.

• Blue and Orange Store opened in Boise.

• Boran Coffee Lounge opened in Meridian.

• Neighbor Tim’s BBQ opened in Meridian.

• Lanna Grills & Bowls opened in Merdian.

• Walkover Bagels opened in Star.

• Slice House opened in Eagle.

Regional closings

• Old State Saloon is up for sale in Eagle.

• Golden Corral Buffet & Grill closed in Boise.

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This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY27 as part of the Workforce Information grant (55%) and state/nonfederal funds (45%) totaling $649,127.

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