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 has been no new monthly labor force data to report. 2026 labor force data will not be released until the 2025 benchmarking process is complete. The next monthly labor force data release is expected to occur in April and May 2026.

Figure 2.

North central Idaho job postings	Feb-26	Feb-25
Unique postings	2,767	1,834
Days posted	22	26
Number of employers	604	400
Average hourly wage	$25.66	$33.42
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	35%	35%
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. Total regional job postings in February continued to hold strong with comparable posting numbers to last month in many prominent industries.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Registered Nurses	182	168
Physicians, All Other	160	40
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	66	15
Retail Salespersons	58	54
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	57	31
Customer Service Representatives	45	19
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	45	47
Medical and Health Services Managers	39	37
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	38	14
Nursing Assistants	34	33
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• By occupational group, the highest monthly posting increases occurred within Transportation and Material Moving and Sales and Related occupations. This growth is offset by very small declines in Farming, Fishing and Forestry along with Food Preparation and Serving occupations.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in north central Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	598	338
Health Care and Social Assistance	525	363
Educational Services	217	201
Retail Trade	174	157
Manufacturing	121	116
Finance and Insurance	109	124
Accommodation and Food Services	100	49
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	71	27
Transportation and Warehousing	62	31
Wholesale Trade	60	40
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Manufacturing and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services postings increased compared to January levels but were strong compared to the same time last year. The job count for many of the region’s top industries in February 2026 were at similar levels in January 2026.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in north central Idaho	Median duration, Feb-26	Unique postings, Feb-26
Educational, Guidance, Career Counselors and Advisors	54	16
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	50	20
Food Service Managers	38	20
Nursing Assistants	36	34
Coaches and Scouts	36	15
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other	34	26
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	32	45
Janitors and Cleaners (Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners)	32	32
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	31	66
Medical and Health Services Managers	27	39
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• By occupational group, the north central region is experiencing the longest durations in filling positions within Farming, Fishing and Forestry (at 32 days), Construction and Extraction (at 32 days) and Health Care Support (30 days).

Regional news

• During February 2026, north central Idaho averaged 47 initial weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims (a 7% increase from the 44 in February 2025) and 310 weekly continuing claims (a decrease of 18% from the 379 in February 2025). Statewide average weekly initial UI claims decreased 34% from January and decreased 32% from February 2025. Statewide average weekly continuing claims decreased 3% from January and have also decreased 6% from February 2025. Source: Idaho Department of Labor UI Claims

Clearwater County

• Clearwater County declared a state of emergency as a result of flooding and rock slides in mid-March. Source: Clearwater Tribune

Latah County

• The new Chick-fil-A in Moscow had a grand opening on March 12. The restaurant may employ up to 120 people at full staff. Source: Pullman Radio

• The University of Idaho purchased a property on Jackson St. in downtown Moscow for $1.6 million to connect its university campus to Moscow’s downtown area. Source: Lewiston Tribune

Nez Perce County

• The Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District will receive $30 million from a federal water infrastructure package to support a new water intake and conveyance system from the Clearwater River. Source: Daily Fly

• Retailer Five Below will be entering the Lewiston market in the summer of 2026 following a re-model of an existing building in Nez Perce Plaza. This will be the retailer’s first location in Idaho. Source: Lewiston Tribune

Regional openings

• Vine & Table wine shop, Moscow

• The 19th Collective, Orofino

• Clearwater Custom Cabinets, Orofino

• JTW Fence, Lewiston

• Summers Wellness Studio, Lewiston

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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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