Regional labor market information
- Labor demand in northern Idaho remained stable in September, with a total of 1,860 unique job postings in the region – a slight decline from 1,923 in August. The unemployment rate decreased slightly from 4.9% to 4.8%, increasing by 0.7% from September 2023. Overall, total employment has increased slightly over the last year.
Figure 1.
| Northern Idaho seasonally adjusted data | Sep-24 (P) | Aug-24 (R) | Sep-23 (B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | 128,822 | 128,001 | 126,983 |
| Total employment | 122,646 | 121,694 | 121,769 |
| Unemployment | 6,176 | 6,307 | 5,214 |
| % of labor force unemployed | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Source: Idaho Department of Labor | P – Preliminary, R – Revised, B – Benchmarked | ||
Figure 2.
| Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in northern Idaho | Postings, Sep-24 | Postings, Sep-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail salespersons | 74 | 66 |
| Registered nurses | 66 | 83 |
| Home health and personal care aides | 63 | 39 |
| Unclassified occupation | 57 | 45 |
| Fast food and counter workers | 44 | 26 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers | 43 | 35 |
| Laborers, freight, stock, material movers and hand | 34 | 33 |
| Janitors and cleaners | 31 | 28 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants | 30 | 29 |
| Customer service representatives | 29 | 46 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Figure 3.
| Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho | Postings, Sep-24 | Postings, Sep-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 274 | 257 |
| Retail trade | 221 | 237 |
| Administrative and support services | 179 | 169 |
| Accommodation and support services | 101 | 135 |
| Manufacturing | 90 | 113 |
| Wholesale trade | 84 | 91 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 82 | 101 |
| Finance and insurance | 73 | 89 |
| Construction | 59 | 37 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 51 | 46 |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Figure 4.
| Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho | Median duration, Sep-24 | Median duration, Sep-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | 25 | N/A |
| Chief Executives | 24 | N/A |
| Substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors | 24 | N/A |
| Public relations specialists | 23 | N/A |
| Dispatchers, except police, fire and ambulance | 22 | N/A |
| Biological scientists, all other | 22 | N/A |
| Nurse practitioners | 20 | N/A |
| Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | 20 | N/A |
| Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors | 20 | N/A |
| Lawyers | 20 | N/A |
| Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast |
Kootenai County
- Kootenai Health is constructing a new facility in Coeur d’Alene and upgrading its existing Women’s Imaging Center in Post Falls. The project will add additional mammography scanners, ultrasound machines and bone density scanners to provide better screening and increase capacity. Kootenai Health timed the announcement of the new investments to coincide with October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and plans to begin work on the new screening facility in 2025. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
- The North Point Plaza commercial complex is under construction in north Post Falls and early tenants will begin opening for business in the coming months. A 7-Eleven gas station is slated to open in December, followed by a Grocery Outlet in early 2025. Four parcels remain available for future tenants. Source: Coeur d’ Alene Press
- Camkels Holdings, a north Idaho based development company, is planning a four-story mixed used building in Post Falls which will include 9,800 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor and 3,8000 square feet of combined residential space on its upper floors. The ground floor commercial space will have room for a total of seven tenants, while the residential floors will include a mix of 33 one and two-bedroom apartments. The project is slated for completion in 2026. Source: Journal of Business
- North Idaho College (NIC) hosted a site visit from accreditation evaluators, now awaiting their report results. NIC leadership hosted a team from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, who conducted the final site visit to NIC before the April 2025 decision on NIC’s accreditation status. The college has been under a show cause sanction since early 2023. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
- The city of Coeur d’Alene approved a $2.3 million contract to begin improvements to Government Way. The new project will improve 10 different intersections on the busy north-south arterial, including improved pedestrian crossings, signals and synchronized lights to help traffic flow. Government Way has become one of the growing city’s most important corridors and has daily traffic in excess of 16,000 vehicles. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
Openings
- The Little Gym (Post Falls).
- Tony Mills Photography (Coeur d’Alene).
- Moose Lounge North (Hayden).
- Dragon Jacket Insulation (Post Falls).
- Metal America (Post Falls).
- Garage Door Design (Post Falls).
- Perma Column (Post Falls).
- Vintage Guild (Coeur d’Alene).
- Coffee Warehouse (Post Falls).
- Idaho Puppy Co. (Coeur d’Alene).
- La Pinata (Post Falls).
This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY25 as part of the Workforce Information grant (40%) and state/nonfederal funds (60%) totaling $885,703.
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