Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Southeastern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	87,878	87,395	87,035
Total employment	84,741	84,273	83,696
Unemployment	3,137	3,122	3,339
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.6%	3.6%	3.8%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	P – Preliminary	R – Revised	B – Benchmarked

• The Idaho Department of Labor is conducting annual benchmarking of unemployment data. This causes a routine delay of substate data. December data is thus the most up to date unemployment data for southeastern Idaho. The labor force increased by 500 people from November 2025 to December of 2025 with 400 more employed people and 15 more unemployed people. The unemployment rate remained the same month over month at 3.6%.

Figure 2.

Southeastern Idaho job postings	Jan-26	Jan-25
Unique postings	2,324	1,383
Days posted	25	34
Number of employers	528	318
Average hourly wage	$20.98	$21.72
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	40%	28%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Postings have increased and posting duration has decreased according to the Conference Board and Lightcast. The Conference Board changed how it accounts for these postings in May of 2025 so it remains to be seen what year over year postings will look like after the change has had a year to cycle through.

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho	Postings, Jan-26	Postings, Jan-25
Registered Nurses	100	54
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	89	44
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	80	19
Retail Salespersons	74	66
Customer Service Representatives	73	11
Fast Food and Counter Workers	37	20
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse	34	66
Nursing Assistants	33	26
Coaches and Scouts	33	4
Food Service Managers	33	23
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Registered Nurses, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, and Home Health and Personal Care Aides continued to be the top in-demand occupations in January. A warm January could also be contributing to the demand for irrigators who fall under the Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursey and Greenhouse postings category. Food services have also been actively hiring for both managers and counter workers.

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho	Postings, Jan-26	Postings, Jan-25
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	257	155
Limited-Service Restaurants	87	31
Elementary and Secondary Schools	82	3
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (Except Convenience Stores)	68	35
Home Health Care Services	55	16
Engineering Services	47	53
Other General Government Support	44	55
Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools	41	28
Credit Unions	35	41
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	31	10
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Limited-Service Restaurants is listed as the second top industry by unique job postings behind General Medical and Surgical Hospitals for postings thanks to recent openings in the region. This aligns with occupation job openings where food related occupations had elevated postings.

• Education also saw many postings between both colleges and elementary schools. This is especially relevant given’s Idaho State University’s announced restructuring of several departments in February. Though college hiring seems elevated from last year, this could be from the May 2025 changes as noted previously.

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southeastern Idaho	Median duration, Jan-26	Unique postings, Jan-26
Postsecondary Teachers	59	12
Special Education Teachers, All Other	59	10
Pharmacists	59	9
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	59	4
Interpreters and Translators	59	4
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	58	8
Industrial Engineers	58	4
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	56	3
Tree Trimmers and Pruners	56	3
Credit Counselors	55	1
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Though specific education occupation postings did not make the list for jobs with the most postings, Postsecondary Teachers and Special Education Teachers are listed in the hardest-to-fill occupations showcasing the variety of occupations that are needed by the sector. Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity, which had a median listing duration of 59 days, likely isn’t education related as school bus drivers have their own classification.

Regional news

Bannock County

• Idaho State University is reducing its workforce by 45 positions of which 16 or 17 are already vacant. This is part of an initiative to reduce spending by $8 million. Other areas of change include structural changes, revenue growth and diversification. The College of Education is being absorbed into the new College of Humanities, Education and Social Science. In the College of Science and Engineering; biochemistry, microbiology and anatomy and physiology have all merged into the new Department of Biomedical Sciences. Source: Idaho State Journal
  • Faculty reduction: 12 of 634
  • Staff reduction: 21 of 1,102
  • Administration reduction: 11 of 75

• LA Semiconductor hired Macquarie Group to facilitate the sale of its Pocatello manufacturing facility. Macquarie is marketing the plant as a “ready-to-run,” low risk, onshore and Department of State International Traffic in Arms Regulations registered factory. (This is an important certification for military contracts.) LA Semiconductor has owned the foundry since 2021 when it purchased from Onsemi. If no sale is made by April, 350 employees will be laid off. Source: East Idaho News

• The Portneuf Urgent Care on Bullock Street in Pocatello opened. The clinic provides walk in care like most clinics, but will be fully integrated into the Portneuf Medical Center’s services. This means that, should more care be needed, it will be easier to get in touch with a Portneuf Medical Group specialist. Source: Idaho State Journal

• Kingpot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot will close. Owner, Bing Yang, says the cost proposal of $25 to $30 per seat is less appealing to consumers in the current restaurant landscape. The business will reorganize from a hot pot cook it yourself model to a Mongolian grill where customers will still select their ingredients, but staff will prepare. Source: East Idaho News

• Work is being started on Pocatello downtown sidewalks. Precision Concrete has been awarded a $360,750 contract to survey the area for sidewalk damage and grind the pavement to smooth out imperfections. Irreparable sidewalk will also be identified and replaced depending on remaining funds. This project was made possible by the Federal Transit Authority Community Development Block Grant. Source: East Idaho News

• The Pocatello Barricade arcade bar expanded into the former location of Draype Interiors, doubling maximum occupancy. Source: Idaho State Journal

• Pebble Creek Ski Area temporarily closed its Aspen area and night skiing due to lack of snow. Source: Idaho State Journal

• The 2024 commercial wind, solar and nuclear project ban might be lifted with conditions under the new Land Use and Development Ordinance for Bannock County. Source: Idaho State Journal

Caribou County

• The bridge on Center Street in Grace is being replaced. The primary road for the community will be closed as construction to improve safety and traffic flow commences. Source: The News-Examiner

Regional openings

• Blackfoot is opening its first Starbucks in April.

• Black Canyon Fitness in Grace opened.

• Bath & Body Works will reopen in the new Pine Ridge shopping center in Chubbuck.

• Gathering Games and Hobbies opened in Pocatello.

Regional closings

• Butter Burr’s Lickety Split sandwich shop offshoot in Pocatello closed. The establishment plans to focus on the main Butter Burr’s breakfast diner location.

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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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