Regional news

Regional labor market information

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

Labor market indicators	Sep-26 (P)	Aug-26 (R)	Sep-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	108,631	108,560	110,187
Total employment	104,850	104,799	106,498
Unemployment	3,781	3,761	3,689
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.5%	3.5%	3.3%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• The region’s unemployment rate has stayed the same from August 2026. South central Idaho’s unemployment rate is still below the state’s current level, which is at 3.6%.

Figure 2. South central Idaho job postings

Job posting indicators	Sep-26	Sep-25
Unique postings	1,954	2,493
Days posted	10	17
Number of employers	604	677
Average hourly wage	$22.95	$30.46
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	43%	47%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Unique job postings, number of employers posting jobs and the average hourly wage have all decreased year over year from September 2025. These indicators suggest the demand for labor in south central Idaho has softened from September 2025.

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

Occupations	Postings, Sep-26	Postings, Sep-25
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	168	59
Retail Salespersons	81	58
Registered Nurses	43	98
Customer Service Representatives	35	50
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	35	31
Driver/Sales Workers	34	12
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	30	50
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	29	26
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	28	33
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, except Technical and Scientific Products	23	15
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers was the top occupation in south central Idaho by unique job postings in September 2026. The demand for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers more than doubled year over year from September 2025. The most in-demand occupations are concentrated in retail and production occupations.

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

Industries	Postings, Sep-26	Postings, Sep-25
Manufacturing	195	265
Retail Trade	180	215
Healthcare and Social Assistance	155	326
Transportation and Warehousing	112	76
Wholesale Trade	94	72
Accommodation and Food Services	89	116
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	72	157
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing	60	48
Finance and Insurance	49	145
Construction	46	56
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Manufacturing took the top spot as the largest industry by unique job postings in September 2026. While many large industries have seen a decrease in postings, Transportation and Warehousing, as well as Wholesale Trade saw a 38% and 27% increase respectively in job postings year over year from September 2025.

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

Occupations	Median duration (days), Sep-26	Unique postings, Sep-25
Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents	29	5
Accounts and Auditors	28	5
Commercial Pilots	28	0
Compensation, Benefits and Job Analysis Specialists	25	2
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	24	31
Air Traffic Controllers	22	0
Driver/Sales Workers	21	12
Financial Managers	19	10
Protective Service Workers, All Other	19	1
Logisticians	18	7
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho this month were primarily a mix of financial and technical occupations.

Regional news

• St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Twin Falls has acquired a new linear accelerator. The accelerator is an advanced treatment machine that is designed to send targeted radiation to tumors while limiting exposure to healthy tissue. Source: KMVT

• As the sugar beet harvest begins, many growers are experiencing many obstacles, from erratic weather to water limitations. Final yields are estimated to drop by four to five tons per acre this season. Source: KMVT

Regional openings

• The Daily Drip – Twin Falls

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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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