Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

South central Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-24 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	112,362	111,403	111,488
Total employment	108,658	107,818	107,591
Unemployment	3,704	3,585	3,897
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.3%	3.1%	3.5%
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.

South central Idaho job postings	Mar-26	Mar-25
Unique postings	2,093	1,306
Days posted	11	11
Number of employers	635	354
Average hourly wage	$24.31	$29.97
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	42%	40%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• While the number of unique postings and employers posting has increased from March 2026 to March 2025, the median advertised salary has decreased by over five dollars an hour year over year.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Retail Salespersons	90	36
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	74	55
Registered Nurses	54	48
Customer Service Representatives	50	18
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	48	37
Cashiers	39	9
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	38	13
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	38	9
Fast Food and Counter Workers	38	9
Food Service Managers	35	7
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Retail Salespersons overtook Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers as the top occupation in south central Idaho by unique job postings in March 2026. The most in-demand occupations are concentrated in retail, food service and transportation occupations.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Mar-26	Postings, Mar-25
Manufacturing	306	168
Retail Trade	274	145
Healthcare and Social Assistance	240	153
Accommodation and Food Service	167	43
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	159	112
Wholesale Trade	111	55
Public Administration	94	50
Construction	71	65
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing	61	16
Transportation and Warehousing	57	34
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Manufacturing took the top spot as the largest industry by unique job postings in March 2026. Real Estate, Rental and Leasing saw a 281% increase in job postings year over year, as interest rates are more favorable for buyers than the previous year.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho	Median duration (days), Mar-26	Unique postings, Mar-25
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	30	26
Electricians	27	N/A
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians	27	N/A
New Accounts Clerks	27	N/A
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	26	N/A
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	26	N/A
Chief Executives	25	N/A
Financial Managers	25	9
Producers and Directors	23	N/A
Accountants and Auditors	23	N/A
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho this month were primarily a mix of production occupations and financial occupations that have seen an increase in demand during tax season.

Regional news

• D&B Supply has opened its 58,000 square foot store in Jerome. Source: Magic Valley Times News

• A new office for the Bureau of Land Management is being constructed in Shoshone. The new office will house around 80 employees from multiple locations, consolidating them into one building. The new facility is expected to be finished in March 2027. Source: KMVT

Regional openings

• D&B Supply – Jerome

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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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