Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Southeastern Idaho job postings	Sep-25	Sep-24
Unique postings	2,434	1,541
Days posted	26	24
Number of employers	572	327
Average hourly wage	$19.63	$20.00
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	45%	36%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Postings and the number of employers hiring have increased, but this is likely not a real shift. The Conference Board recently changed how they cover job boards to include smaller specialist boards after a policy change of Indeed.com to limit access for this series. This means data after May 2025 will be elevated compared to previous years.

Figure 2.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho	Postings, Sep-25	Postings, Sep-24
Home health and personal care aides	108	16
Registered nurses	101	66
Retail salespersons	86	86
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	78	52
Customer service representatives	58	21
Laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand	45	23
Teaching assistants, except postsecondary	40	52
Fast food and counter workers	40	27
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	36	39
Merchandise displayers and window trimmers	36	14
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Demand for home health aides was elevated this year at 108 topping the usual most in-demand occupations of nurses, retail salespersons and truck drivers.

Figure 3.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southeastern Idaho	Postings, Sep-25	Postings, Sep-24
General medical and surgical hospitals	271	199
Limited-service restaurants	80	16
Colleges, universities and professional schools	74	78
Elementary and secondary schools	68	70
Home health care services	62	12
Lessors of other real estate property	47	2
Supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience stores)	42	37
Engineering services	38	7
Pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing	33	8
Other general government support	33	40
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Home health care services is elevated accordingly with the elevated demand for home health care aids. Engineering and pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing were also relatively elevated.

Figure 4.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southeastern Idaho	Median duration, Sep-25	Unique postings, Sep-25
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers	58	15
Parts salespersons	58	5
Maintenance and repair workers, general	56	14
Medical records specialists	56	3
Computer network architects	55	1
General and operations managers	54	15
Child, family and school social workers	52	7
Coaches and scouts	49	27
Logisticians	48	1
Lodging managers	48	1
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

• Most occupations on this list have around 50 days advertised but most have few openings except coaches, operations managers and food preparation supervisors. The demand for food preparation workers is most likely related to the new restaurants opening in Pocatello including Mo’Bettahs and Raising Cane’s.

Regional news

• Construction began on a six-acre plot in Chubbuck to build a five-story pickleball complex. The complex will include 10 courts and will host local tournaments. Construction is slated to finish by early 2026. Source: Idaho State Journal

• United Way of Southeastern Idaho, Bannock County and various local businesses launched the “KIDS First Coalition.” This program will focus on a tri-share model where employers, the local government and employees will each share the cost of child care. This program aims to make child care more accessible for the workforce and to retain employees who might otherwise have to leave the labor force due to costs. Source: KIFI News

• The Bureau of Land Management have approved the relocation of 1,500 feet of natural gas pipeline currently along the Snake River. The new pipeline will replace the aging infrastructure with a six-inch diameter subterranean pipeline. Source: Power County Press

• The City of Pocatello held a ribbon-cutting for the now renovated Recycling Services Facility. The facility was acquired by the city in August of 2024 after the old facility was slated to close. Upgrades include warehouse improvements, public drop-off areas and interior renovations. Source: Idaho State Journal

Bannock County

• DW Investors will soon complete construction of the Steel Hollow housing community on Jefferson Avenue. The one-bedroom, small loft and one-bathroom tiny homes will be offered at $1,100 a month – not including utilities. The estimated completion date is November 2025. Source: Idaho State Journal, TheSteelHollow.com

• The Village headquarters of the Idaho Foster and Adoptive Parent Association received various grants including a $89,000 donation from AgWest for expansion. Source: KIFI News

Caribou County

• Grace High School received a grant from Bayer to build a hydroponic greenhouse. The 30 by 70-foot building will help students learn about various industry relevant topics such as soil types, germination, stages of growth, photosynthesis and fruiting. Source: Idaho State Journal

Power County

• The Power County Assessor’s Office and the Power County Sheriff’s Office agreed to combine the Department of Motor Vehicles and Driver’s License service location in the Power County Courthouse. Source: Power County Press

Regional openings

• Gem State Jewel opened in Historic Downtown Pocatello.

• A Frontier Credit Union opened in Montpelier, Bear Lake County.

• “It’s Bin Fun” an overstock and returns store opened in Pocatello.

Regional closings

• Starbucks on East Benton St. in Pocatello closed.

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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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