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 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.

South central Idaho job postings	Feb-26	Feb-25
Unique postings	1,657	1,234
Days posted	10	11
Number of employers	533	322
Average hourly wage	$25.05	$31.45
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	41%	41%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• While the number of unique postings and employers competing has increased from February 2026 to February 2025, the number of days a job is posted did decrease by one day.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	83	53
Retail Salespersons	53	35
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	41	19
Registered Nurses	35	57
Customer Service Representatives	33	24
Cashiers	29	6
Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand	26	26
Stockers and Order Fillers	25	15
Food Service Managers	24	8
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	21	21
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers continue to be the top occupation in south central Idaho by unique job postings in February 2026. Unique job postings for Cashiers increased over 380% year over year from February 2026.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in south central Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Retail Trade	217	108
Manufacturing	212	188
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	178	96
Health Care and Social Assistance	166	182
Wholesale Trade	82	50
Accommodation and Food Services	80	32
Construction	68	58
Transportation and Warehousing	68	30
Finance and Insurance	60	112
Public Administration	50	37
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Retail Trade took the top spot as the largest industry by unique job postings in February 2026. Retail Trade job postings also doubled year over year, as many retail occupations were in the top 10 for February 2026.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho	Median duration (days), Feb-26	Unique postings, Feb-25
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other	26	0
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	25	15
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians	24	0
Cashiers	23	5
Food Scientists and Technologists	23	7
Parts Salespersons	22	12
Industrial Production Managers	21	15
Electricians	21	0
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	21	0
Managers, All Other	21	5
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• The hardest-to-fill occupations in south central Idaho this month were primarily a mix of medical and production occupations.

Regional news

• Simplot Grower Solutions has completed a new fertilizer storage facility in Rupert. The new facility can load a truck in seven to 14 minutes, compared to the previous 60 to 90 minutes. This new facility will help bolster agriculture production in the Magic Valley. Source: KMVT

• Breeze Airways is expanding service to the Twin Falls airport, providing a flight to Las Vegas beginning in November. Source: Magic Valley Times News

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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.

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.