Region
Labor force estimates for July 2024 from the Idaho Department of Labor’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) had total employment and total unemployment increasing in the seven-county southeastern region. Seasonally adjusted, July’s preliminary estimates have labor force participants increasing by 1,177 people, with 1,161 more employed people and 16 more unemployed people. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 3.5%, the same as June 2024 and .2% lower than July 2023.
Figure 1.| Southeastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data | July-24 (P) | Jun-24 (R) | July-23 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 91,057 | 89,880 | 88,579 |
| Total employment | 87,881 | 86,720 | 85,293 |
| Unemployment | 3,176 | 3,160 | 3,286 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| Source: Idaho Department of Labor | P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked | ||
In July 2024 there were 625 unique online job postings in the southeastern Idaho labor market area, down 15% from the prior month at 732, and down 12% over the year at 713. The median job posting duration was 14 days, up two days from June and down one day from July 2023.
Figure 2.| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho, July 2024 | Postings, July-24 | Postings, July-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurses | 46 | 53 |
| Retail salespersons | 33 | 16 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 16 | 21 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 16 | 15 |
| Coaches and scouts | 15 | 2 |
| Customer service representatives | 13 | 10 |
| Teaching assistants, except postsecondary | 11 | 4 |
| Hand laborers, freight, stock and material movers | 11 | 10 |
| Food service managers | 11 | 0 |
| Farmworkers, laborers, crop nursery and greenhouse | 10 | 1 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
The top occupational families by unique online job postings in southeastern Idaho for July are health care practitioners and technical, sales and related management, transportation and material moving. Figure 1 denotes among the specific occupations, registered nurses are at the top of the list with 46 unique online postings, followed by retail salespersons (33), heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (16), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (16) and coaches (15).
Figure 3.| Top industries by job unique postings in southeastern Idaho, July 2024 | Postings, July-24 | Postings, July-23 |
|---|---|---|
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 77 | 183 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | 56 | 17 |
| Executive legislative and other general government support | 27 | 12 |
| Employment services | 24 | 12 |
| Warehouse clubs, supercenters and other general merchandise retailers | 18 | 20 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 18 | 15 |
| Nonresidential building construction | 17 | 11 |
| Insurance carriers | 17 | 30 |
| Pesticide, fertilizer and other agricultural chemical manufacturing | 16 | 4 |
| Colleges, universities and professional schools | 15 | 22 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Health care, social assistance and retail trade are at the top of broadly defined industries by unique online job postings in July. Looking at specific industries in Figure 2, general medical and surgical hospitals once again had the most unique job postings at 77 but was down year over year by 58%. Elementary and secondary schools were increased by 229% while executive legislative and other general government support increased 125%.
Figure 4.| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southeastern Idaho, July 2024 | Median duration, July-24 | Unique postings, July-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses | 27 | 5 |
| Chemical engineers | 25 | 4 |
| Human resource specialists | 19 | 2 |
| Elementary school teachers, except special education | 19 | 1 |
| Pharmacy technicians | 19 | 8 |
| Merchandise displayers and window trimmers | 19 | 5 |
| Computer numerically controlled tool operators | 19 | 1 |
| Retail salespersons | 18 | 33 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 18 | 16 |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians | 18 | 3 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Figure 4 indicates that the hardest-to-fill jobs were in the sales and health care occupational family, including licensed practical and vocational nurses (27), pharmacy technicians (19), radiologic technicians (19), merchandise displayers (19) retail supervisors and retail salespersons (18). Retail salespersons and retail supervisors also topped the most in demand occupations.
Region News
- The world’s largest operational steam locomotive, Union Pacific’s “Big Boy No 4014” visited Soda Springs and Montpelier city. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Grants to schools across Southeast Idaho were awarded by the Idaho Community Foundation totaling over $66,000. Source: The Power County Press
Bannock County
- Internet provider, Sparklight, awarded a $5,000 grant to the Senior Activity Center in the City of Pocatello. Source: Idaho State Journal
- The City of Chubbuck Farmer’s Market moved locations to the Idaho Coffee Company on East Chubbuck Road. Source: KIFI News
- The Portneuf Valley Farmers Market hosted a Family Fun Day at Lookout Point, one of their most popular annual events. Visitors were treated to live music, food trucks and a petting zoo. Source KPVI News
- Gate City Coffee completed its expansion in Pocatello to accommodate more patrons, vendors and artists. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Jim Dandy Brewing won first-place in the U.S. Open Beer Championship with its Tango Yankee ale. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Pocatello City Council voted unanimously to purchase and improve the Western Recycling building on Garrett Way. Source: KPVI News
- 86 townhomes were approved for construction near Ammon Park by the Pocatello City Council. Source: East Idaho News
- The Shady Grove Music Camp, a local music festival, featured over 30 acts from both local and national music groups. Source: KPVI News
- The Idaho Coffee Company in the city of Chubbuck partnered with the Distinguished Young Women of Pocatello to provide formal clothes to help women dress for job interviews. Source: KPVI News
- Lava Hot Springs celebrated the anniversary of its 1915 naming with Founders Day celebration. Events included a fun run and pickleball tournament. Source: The News-Examiner
- Pureflight Aviation finalized a deal with the Pocatello City Council to open an aviation school at the Pocatello Regional Airport. Source: KPVI News
- The Pocatello Free Clinic received a $10,000 grant from the MDU Resources Group, the check was presented by a subsidiary, Intermountain Gas. Source: KPVI News.
- The Westwood Mall in Pocatello hosted its Bigfoot Rendezvous event for Sasquatch enthusiasts. The event featured Idaho State University Professor Dr. Jeff Meldrum as its keynote speaker. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Construction began for the Hawthorne Road and Jensen Street Child Pedestrian Improvements Project. This was part of a $250,000 grant from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Median home listing prices in Bannock County in July decreased 2% from last month but increased 1% year over year at $419,900. Listing prices for 330 homes in inventory increased by 12% in July and spent a median of 47 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Bear Lake County
- 60 baseball kid’s teams from Utah, Wyoming and Idaho converged in Montpelier for Bear Lake Baseball Tournament. Source: The News-Examiner
- The Bear Lake Car show struggled with attendance due to rain and a highway accident near the City of Montpelier. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Bear Lake County Median home listing prices in Bear Lake County in July increased 3% from last month and 65% year over year at $735,000. Listing prices for 76 homes in inventory increased by 1% in July and spent a median of 101 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Bingham County
- Private Citizens raised $90,000 to build a new park in the City of Shelly. Source: East Idaho News
- The Bingham Humane Society hosted half-off adoptions for the month of July thanks to an anonymous donor. Source KPVI News
- The City of Aberdeen hosted its Twilight Tour that drew in a crowd of 350 for activities such as strawberry DNA extraction, fishing lessons from Fish and Game, free wildflower seeds and a raffle. Source: The Aberdeen Times
- The City of Blackfoot hosted its second downtown fair. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Blackfoot School District 55 laid off 25 employees due to changes in funding calculations and shrinking enrollment. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Median home listing price in Bear Lake County in July decreased down 4% since last month and 6% year over year at $451,100. Listing prices for 121 homes in inventory increased by 16% in July and spent a median of 101 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Caribou County
- Soda Springs was recognized for its hydro plant rebuild with a Garret Nancolas City Achievement Award. Source: The News-Examiner
- Caribou County Median home listing prices in Caribou County in July decreased 1% since last month but increased 13% year over year at $350,000. Listing prices for 35 homes in inventory increased by 17% in July and spent a median of 55 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Franklin County
- Stokes Market in the City of Preston was awarded a $100,000 grant for the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy building. Source: Idaho State Journal
- Preston celebrated the 20th anniversary of the film Napoleon Dynamite with the 2024 Napoleon Fest. Activities included a school bus tour, a self-defense dojo class and a tetherball tournament among other events. Source: Napoleon Fest, The News-Examiner
- Median home listing prices in Franklin County decreased 3% from last month but increased 2% year over year at $498,125. Listing process for 53 homes in inventory increased by 17% in July and spent a median of 57 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Oneida County
- A substantial grant from Stotz Equipment helped the Holbrook and Stone Volunteer Fire Department acquire much needed equipment like collapsible ladders, fire extinguishers, sledgehammers and new fire hose nozzles. Source: The Idaho Enterprise
- Median home listing prices in Oneida County decreased 2% from last month but increased 7% year over year at $439,000. Listing prices for 21 homes in inventory increased by 14% in July and spent a median of 55 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Power County
- French fry producer, Lamb Weston, opened a new factory in American Falls to produce a new line of French fries. The new factory covers 600,000 square feet and will employ 135 workers. Source: Idaho Business Review
- The city of American Falls opened The Gardner Place, a new apartment building. It was reconstructed from a hotel and now houses 19 studio apartments and nine one-bedroom apartments. Source: The Power County Press
- The Rudeen family of American Falls donated $100,000 to the Mary-Lou Rudeen Memorial Scholarship to expand financial aid to University of Idaho students. Source: The Power County Press
- Hundreds of dead trout were discovered in the American Falls Reservoir. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality found, based on water tests, that a drop in dissolved oxygen levels caused low oxygen water to churn and deprive some fish of oxygen. Source: Idaho Fish and Game
- Median home listing prices in Power County in July decreased 8% from last month and 19% year-over-year at $364,250. Listing prices for 17 homes in inventory increased by 3% in July and spent a median of 70 days on the market. Source: Realtor.com
Brandon.Duong@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 236-6715
This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY24 as part of the Workforce Information grant (48%) and state/nonfederal (52%) totaling $704,259.
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