Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

North central, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	54,432	53,813	56,385
Total employment	52,314	51,792	54,162
Unemployment	2,118	2,021	2,223
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.9%	3.8%	3.9%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• There is no new monthly sub-state labor force data to report. Updated labor force data will be released in May.

Figure 2.

North central Idaho job postings	Mar-26	Mar-25
Unique postings	2,768	2,100
Days posted	25	27
Number of employers	578	406
Average hourly wage	$25.66	$29.48
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	40%	36%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Job posting comparability between 2025 and 2026 is significantly affected by a change in internal processes implemented by Lightcast during mid-2025. Compared to statewide job postings, north central postings averaged four more days of median posting duration. Approximately 40% of job postings in this region listed wage rates compared to 47% for statewide postings, but that is an increase from 36% in March 2025.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Registered Nurses	263	199
Retail Salespersons	80	65
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	61	23
Occupational Therapists	51	28
Customer Service Representatives	48	20
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	41	40
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	41	15
Physicians, All Other	39	35
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	38	65
Physical Therapists	37	79
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Registered Nurses continued to have strong demand with the highest number of job postings in the region while Farmworkers and Laborers experienced declines compared to March 2025.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	496	433
Healthcare and Social Assistance	496	379
Educational Services	242	241
Retail Trade	222	170
Manufacturing	145	114
Accommodation and Food Services	145	65
Finance and Insurance	106	126
Public Administration	72	55
Wholesale Trade	69	26
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	52	37
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• All major industries in March 2026 had higher job postings compared to last month as employer demand picks up during the spring and summer seasons. The increase in postings was led by Healthcare, Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services. Wholesale Trade also reported solid posting increases compared to both last month and March 2025.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in north central Idaho	Median duration, Mar-26	Unique postings, Mar-26
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	56	17
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	50	30
Speech-Language Pathologists	47	23
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services and Travel	46	18
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	42	38
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	36	41
Nursing Assistants	36	30
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	34	61
Cashiers	34	30
Family Medicine Physicians	30	35
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• By occupational group, the north central region is experiencing the longest durations in filling positions within Community and Social Service Organizations (at 44 days) and Farming, Fishing and Forestry Occupations (at 41 days).

Regional news

• The north central region reported 27 average weekly initial unemployment insurance (UI) claims and 317 average weekly continuing claims during March 2026. Initial claim volume decreased 37% from the previous month and 39% from the 44 average weekly initial claims filed in March 2025. Continuing weekly claim volume in north central increased 2% from February 2026 and decreased 16% from the 379 average weekly claims in March 2025. Overall, weekly volume for both initial and continuing claims decreased statewide compared to last month and March 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor

Latah County

• The University of Idaho held a grand opening for the 12,750 square foot Meat Science and Innovation Center, April 10, in Moscow. The newly expanded facility allows agricultural students to experience preparing meats for consumers through both classroom learning and on-the-job training. Source: Lewiston Tribune

• FlixBus expanded its Pacific Northwest network route with a stop in Moscow. Destinations include Pullman, Colfax, Lewiston and Spokane along with available connections to Seattle and Portland. Source: Lewiston Tribune

Lewis County

• The City of Craigmont was awarded the 2026 Source Water Protection System of the Year by the Idaho Rural Water Association. Source: Lewiston Tribune

Nez Perce County

• Lifepoint Health has agreed to acquire St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center from ScionHealth. The transaction is expected to close prior to July 2026. The Lewiston-based community hospital is one of the top 10 employers in north central Idaho. Source: ScionHealth

• The nonprofit entity Confluence Fiber Corporation was established to oversee the construction and operation of Lewiston’s fiber broadband network created in partnership by the Port of Lewiston and Pivot-Tech Development. Source: Daily Fly

• The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality awarded the City of Lewiston a $1.5 million wastewater contaminant construction loan. The funds will be used for an environmental review for the East Orchards neighborhood and to convert homes from septic to public sewer. Source: Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

Regional openings

• Bluetick Coffee, Lewiston

• Bargain Hunter Mall, Lewiston

• Wild Camas RV Park, Weippe

• Ace Home Center is under new ownership, Grangeville

• Idaho County Restoration, Grangeville

• Cutting Edge Small Engine Repair, Kamiah

• Moscow Jiu-jitsu Academy, Moscow

Regional closings

• OWLS Idaho Microschool, Lewiston

• GEO Reentry Services, Lewiston

• Sylvan Furniture, Lewiston

• Torgerson’s Equipment, Deary

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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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