Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

South central Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Jul-26 (P)	Jun-26 (R)	Jul-25 (B)
Civilian labor force	107,959	107,778	109,465
Total employment	104,400	103,939	105,739
Unemployment	3,559	3,839	3,726
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.3%	3.6%	3.4%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• The region’s unemployment rate has decreased from June 2026, south central’s unemployment rate is still below the state’s current level, which is at 3.6%.

Figure 2.

South central Idaho job postings	Jul-26	Jul-25
Unique postings	1,759	2,095
Days posted	10	14
Number of employers	569	799
Average hourly wage	$24.43	$24.55
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	45%	46%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Unique job postings, number of employers posting jobs and the average hourly wage have all decreased year over year from July 2025. These indicators suggest the demand for labor in south central Idaho has softened from July 2025.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Jul-26	Postings, Jul-25
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	133	72
Retail Salespersons	64	82
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	41	54
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	36	23
Registered Nurses	35	78
Packing and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	33	22
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	30	54
Customer Service Representatives	27	44
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	27	32
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	26	31
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers was the top occupation in south central Idaho by unique job postings in July 2026. The demand for Packing and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders increased 50% year over year from July 2025. The most in-demand occupations are concentrated in retail and production occupations.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Jul-26	Postings, Jul-25
Manufacturing	218	258
Retail Trade	206	282
Healthcare and Social Assistance	174	258
Transportation and Warehousing	88	58
Accommodation and Food Services	87	105
Wholesale Trade	58	93
Educational Services	54	48
Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services	49	50
Construction	40	72
Other Services (Except Public Administration)	40	65
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Manufacturing took the top spot as the largest industry by unique job postings in July 2026. Transportation and Warehousing also saw a 51% increase in job postings year over year from July 2025.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho	Median duration (days), Jul-26	Unique postings, Jul-25
Physicians, All Other	30	5
Orderlies	28	0
Web and Digital Interface Designers	27	0
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	22	8
Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks	20	7
Atmospheric and Space Scientists	19	2
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	18	28
Speech-Language Pathologists	18	4
New Accounts Clerks	18	0
Order Clerks	17	0
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho this month were a mix of technical occupations in health and finance.

Regional news

• Elevate Academy in Twin Falls has opened just in time for the school year after two years of construction. The new public charter school is designed around career readiness, pairing a high school diploma with trade certification. The school’s 350 students will have options to explore many trade classes before committing to a specific trade. Source: KMVT

• The City of Twin Falls is planning a 39-acre mixed use development with hopes to address the housing shortage, called Cook’s Corner Subdivision. Ten acres will be for commercial use, with half of the space proposed for a storage unit facility along with a gas station and convenience store. Home construction is expected to begin in the next one to two years. Source: KMVT

• Poindexter’s costume shop is entering its last era, with owner Susan Buhler working to sell off merchandise ahead of a planned closure. Source: KMVT

• The College of Southern Idaho’s new LeRoy Craig Center has opened in Jerome. After two years of construction, the $9.3 million-dollar, 20,000 square-foot building contains four classrooms, local labs and student areas. This new center will increase educational access to those in and near Jerome. Source: Magic Valley Times News

Regional openings

• Bricks and Minifigs – Twin Falls

• In-N-Out Burger – Twin Falls

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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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