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

Figure 2.

South central Idaho job postings	Dec-25	Dec-24
Unique postings	1,813	705
Days posted	11	16
Number of employers	593	262
Average hourly wage	$25.08	$25.91
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	46%	33%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Average hourly wages sourced from available job postings have declined from December 2024 to 2025. This suggests the labor market seems to be cooling down even while more employers are seeking employees and as postings increase.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	87	33
Registered Nurses	65	21
Customer Service Representatives	49	10
Retail Salespersons	45	34
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	39	13
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	35	38
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	32	5
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	28	12
Food Preparation Workers	28	3
Nursing Assistants	25	6
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers are the top occupation in south central Idaho by unique postings in December 2025. This is unusual, as Registered Nurses are usually listed at No. 1.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Dec-25	Postings, Dec-24
Manufacturing	290	97
Health Care and Social Assistance	233	98
Retail Trade	160	94
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	121	28
Finance and Insurance	104	34
Accommodation and Food Services	88	16
Construction	68	34
Wholesale Trade	62	22
Public Administration	55	27
Educational Services	37	22
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Manufacturing is the top occupation in the region by job postings in December 2025. Construction job postings have increased 66% over the year as a warm winter has extended construction activity.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho	Median duration (days), Dec-25	Unique postings, Dec-24
Agricultural Inspectors	28	0
Self-Enrichment Teachers	27	0
Orderlies	22	0
Insurance Sales Agents	21	0
Production, Planning and Expediting Clerks	21	0
Civil Engineers	21	4
Concierges	21	0
Production Workers, All Other	20	1
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	20	0
Chefs and Head Cooks	20	0
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Hardest to fill occupations in south central Idaho this month were primarily a mix of specialized medical and production occupations.

Regional news

• The College of Southern Idaho held an opening ceremony for its new Transportation Technology Center. The 28,000 square-foot facility will house the college’s heavy equipment, diesel technology and agricultural technology programs. The building will also collaborate with the Twin Falls School District, offering opportunities to high school students. Source: KMVT

• Pomerelle Mountain Resort opened its ski slopes Dec. 21 after a lengthy wait for snow. Source: KMVT

• Soldier Mountain opened Jan. 10, as the lack of snowfall has delayed ski resorts across the state. Source: KMVT

Regional openings

• Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, has opened at their new location in Twin Falls. Source: KMVT

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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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