Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Northern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-24 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	133,153	132,630	130,951
Total employment	127,251	126,576	124,673
Unemployment	5,902	6,054	6,278
Percentage of labor force unemployed	4.4%	4.6%	4.8%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

Figure 2.

Northern Idaho job postings	Jan-26	Jan-25
Unique postings	1,866	1,925
Days posted	11	18
Number of employers	635	670
Average hourly wage	$23.69	$23.20
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	48%	48%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Job posting data shows a strengthening labor market year over year, with total postings, hiring employers and posted wages all increasing relative to December 2024. Total postings increased by more than 20% year over year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jan-26	Postings, Jan-25
Registered Nurses	80	69
Retail Salespersons	64	62
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	52	48
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	39	39
Fast Food and Counter Workers	30	25
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	30	15
Nursing Assistants	29	20
Medical and Health Services Managers	28	25
Customer Service Representatives	27	47
Food Service Managers	26	28
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The highest in-demand occupations in northern Idaho are concentrated in a few specific sectors, including Health Care, consumer services like Retail Trade, Food Services and Transportation and Warehousing.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in northern Idaho	Postings, Jan-26	Postings, Jan-25
Health Care and Social Assistance	348	334
Retail Trade	233	204
Administrative and Support Services	141	191
Accommodation and Food Services	136	137
Manufacturing	121	111
Finance and Insurance	100	81
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	82	97
Wholesale Trade	64	78
Other Services	51	48
Construction	49	72
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Top industries for job postings remained largely consistent year over year. Health Care consistently dominates hiring activity, with large consumer sectors like Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services also making large contributions.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in northern Idaho	Median duration (days), Jan-26	Unique postings, Jan-26
Clergy	27	9
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	24	1
Nurse Practitioners	22	11
Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agents	22	3
Construction Managers	21	7
Chief Executives	21	5
Computer User Support Specialists	21	4
Cost Estimators	21	3
Prosthodontists	21	1
Marriage and Family Therapists	20	3
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The most difficult to fill positions in northern Idaho are relatively rare and are in low demand, with most showing fewer than 10 postings.

Regional news

Kootenai County

• Axis Spine Center opened a new facility within the Northwest Specialty Hospital Network in Post Falls. The new facility provides a wide range of spine and pain management services, including diagnostics, rehabilitation services and surgical interventions. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Shoshone County

• A joint venture between Americas Gold and Silver and United States Antimony will build and operate a new antimony processing plant at the Galena Mine near Wallace. The partnership will create a fully domestic and complete supply chain for antimony, which is a critical mineral used in special alloys, semiconductors, batteries and other products. Construction will be completed within 18 months of budget approval. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Regional openings

• Furniture Now (Coeur d’Alene)

• McDonald’s (Post Falls)

• Prime IV Hydration & Wellness (Coeur d’Alene)

• Hyatt Place (Post Falls)

---

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.

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the recipient and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.