Regional news

Regional labor market information

Figure 1.

Southwestern Idaho, seasonally adjusted data	Dec-25 (P)	Nov-25 (R)	Dec-24 (B)
Civilian labor force	497,593	494,453	491,225
Total employment	480,424	477,596	473,414
Unemployment	17,169	16,857	17,811
Percentage of labor force unemployed	3.5%	3.4%	3.6%
Source: Idaho Department of Labor	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.

Southwestern Idaho job postings	Feb-26	Feb-25
Unique postings	10,257	9,979
Days posted	10	11
Number of employers	2,388	2,342
Median hourly wage	$31.94	$29.97
Percentage of postings with advertised wage	53%	50%
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 3.

Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
Registered Nurses	287	365
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products)	258	225
Software Developers	222	191
Trailer-Tractor Truck Drivers	217	145
Retail Salespersons	188	213
Customer Service Representatives	183	215
Business Development and Sales Managers	150	114
Project Managers	125	133
Physicians	122	87
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	113	110
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 4.

Top 10 industries by unique job postings in southwestern Idaho	Postings, Feb-26	Postings, Feb-25
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	661	708
Engineering Services	315	258
Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	297	332
Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing	180	171
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (Except Convenience Stores)	175	207
Other General Government Support	166	185
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	150	354
Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services	143	66
Administrative, Management and General Management Consulting Services	135	188
Limited Service Restaurants	99	136
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Figure 5.

Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in southwestern Idaho	Median duration, Feb-26 (days)	Unique postings, Feb-26
Accountants	21	46
Restaurant and Food Service Managers	18	51
Building and General Maintenance Workers	17	98
Program Managers	16	47
Stocking Clerks	15	68
Health Care Administrators	14	78
Office and Administrative Assistants	13	90
Caregivers and Personal Care Aides	13	81
Retail Store Managers	13	113
Retail Store Associates	13	188
Source: The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine

Regional news

Ada County

• The Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 Mayors Challenge awarded $1 million to Boise for development of geothermal water for heating an affordable housing complex. Geothermal water is a naturally occurring resource in Boise currently heating Idaho’s State Capitol, Boise City Hall, Warm Springs Boulevard homes and more than 90 downtown buildings. The 300-unit apartment complex near Boise State University will be the recipient of the energy-saving resource estimated to reduce energy bills for future apartment residents by 80%. J. Fisher Companies won the bid to build the project in a private-public partnership with the City of Boise. Bloomberg Philanthropies will also provide financial support to the city to hire two staffers dedicated to the project. Other U.S. cities winning the million-dollar grant include South Bend, Indiana and Lafayette, Louisiana. Internationally, prize winners were Barcelona, Spain, Budapest, Hungary, Cape Town, South Africa and Fez, Morrocco. Source: Idaho Statesman

• The Treasure Valley Family YMCA received a $2 million donation from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation to assist with the construction of the Kissler Family Early Education Center. Construction is estimated for completion in fall 2027 and is located near the site of the future CapEd Downtown Boise YMCA. The center will be the state’s first employer co-op child care center with a capacity for 124 children. Source: Idaho Business Review

• The Ada County Jail has initiated an educational program for inmates called IGNITE. The decision follows the success of the program at Bonneville County’s Jail. IGNITE is an acronym for ‘Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education.’ It is a national initiative designed to break the cycle of incarceration and was founded in Michigan. Now, more than a dozen states participate in IGNITE programs. It is in addition to already existing education opportunities such as workforce training, earning a GED certificate and substance abuse treatment. Source: KTVB News

• Boise State University announced it will merge two programs and close another due to a strategic realignment. The College of Education and the School of Public Service will merge into the College of Education and Public Service. This merger will achieve cost savings with the reduction of administrative overhead. The College of Innovation and Design will shutter with the potential to integrate into other programs. Source: Idaho News 6

• McDevitt Park has begun upgrades costing more than $1.2 million. The park will add a basketball court, a dog park, a pump track, bike trails, new skate park features, gardens with new trees and pollinator-friendly areas, plus a nature playground. The completion is estimated to be late summer 2026. Source: Idaho News 6

• Hewlett Packard announced plans to permanently exit its Boise operation. The announced timeframe is the end of 2027 and follows a global location strategy that was released in September 2025 identifying eight sites for investment and talent acquisition. Boise was not on the list. The company stated that more concrete plans will be released on May 1. HP moved some of its staff to Boise in 1973 and proceeded to start building its campus on Chinden. Soon after, it started manufacturing laser jet printers. The 200-acre campus was purchased by the State of Idaho in 2017, dedicating some space for lease by the residual HP staff. Source: KTVB News

• Scentsy announced it is laying off another 11% of its workforce as part of a restructuring effort. The company laid off 116 positions, also about 11% of its workforce, in April 2025. At that time the company stated it was adjusting after rapid growth during the pandemic as demand returned to more typical levels for the fragrance company. Source: Idaho News 6

• Pure Bliss Baking will continue to bake sourdough bread but under the name Lost Rim Sourdough Co. New ownership has created the name change for this Boise bakery, which will retain many of its recipes and its venue. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Boise based Micron reported at an analyst meeting that their fabrication plant should come online in 2027 and allow them to meet demand for semiconductor chips. The company’s stock price has soared since September 2022 when it first announced its first wave of expansion at the Boise campus. Common stock share prices increased by 7.7 times, driven by a lack of supply as artificial intelligence demand continues to grow exponentially. Source: BoiseDev

Boise County

• Bogus Basin Mountain shut down its skiing operations about three weeks earlier than the normal season. Last season, the season was extended due to favorable conditions closing the first week of May. This winter, Bogus Basin received 110 inches of snowfall compared to its average 250 inches each winter. Source: Idaho News 6

Canyon County

• The National Science Foundation awarded a grant to Northwest Nazarene University for wildfire research. The three-year, $150,000 grant contributes to a collaborative research project with Boise State University, the University of New Mexico and the University of Oklahoma entitled “Good Fire: Enhance Spatial and Temporal Efficacy of Prescribed Fire and Managed Wildfire Use.” According to Dr. Dale Hamilton, professor of computer science at Northwest Nazarene University, “Wildland fire management is one of the most complex and urgent difficulties facing our region.” Source: Idaho Business Review

• The city of Caldwell has installed downtown parking signs describing the free three and four-hour parking zones. This follows a period of 100 days when parking meters were installed downtown. The move drew such a backlash from both business owners and residents that the meters were removed. The city has set aside nine free public parking lots with no time restrictions. Source: KTVB News

• The Nampa Farmers Market will return for the 37th time this season offering community events and pre-orders for pickup. Special events include Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Kid’s Day and an Independence Day Block Party. Source: Idaho Press

Gem County

• The Emmett School District trustees opted to present a $2.3 million, two-year supplemental levy before the voters in May. The school district believes this provides the budget with flexibility to deal with funding cuts from the state without having to reduce staffing levels. The total $4.6 million will be used for personnel, nursing, custodial, technology equipment and maintenance projects. Source: Idaho News 6

Elmore County

• The Best Western Foothills Inn was selected to win the M.K. Guertin Award. Only 5% of the 2,300 Best Western Hotels across the U.S. and Canada were selected based on exceptional levels of service, quality, value and commitment to the brand. The award was presented at the BWH Annual Convention in front of 3,000 attendees. Source: Mountain Home News

Valley County

• Lake Cascade experienced its earliest melting of ice according to the citizen scientist group called Friends of Lake Cascade. The ice normally lasts until mid-April on average. The latest it has stayed intact was May 7, 2023. Source: The Star-News

Regional groundbreakings

• Fred Meyer broke ground on its first store in Caldwell. It plans to open in late 2026 or early 2027. The 155,000 square foot store is estimated to cost the company $64 million with a second location potentially in the works, according to the president of Fred Meyer. Caldwell has seen extensive population growth with the company planning to hire an estimated 250 workers. The company donated $5,000 to the Salvation Army’s food pantry. This is part of Fred Meyer’s initiative called Zero Hunger, Zero Waste aimed at improving food insecurity within its communities. Source: Idaho Press

Regional openings

• The Flying Pickle, an indoor pickleball franchise, hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of its second location in Idaho at Nampa’s Sugar District. Source: Idaho Press

• The city of Boise opened a new 18-hole disc golf course in Veterans Memorial Park, along with a nature playground and safety upgrades. The $600,000 park investment was funded by impact fees generated through community growth and development. Source: KTVB News

• The Sportsman Bar & Grill opened in Meridian. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Koko Bell Express reopened in downtown Boise, after finding its kitchen needed an extensive renovation. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Jersey Mike’s Subs, a sandwich franchise owned by a local restauranteur, will open in downtown Meridian replacing the former Subway shop in existence for at least 15 years. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Wild Beer Frontier Project opened its new brewery in Boise at the former Mad Swede Brewing Company space. An estimated 750-800 people showed up for the grand opening with live music and food trucks. Source: Idaho Press

• Valley Family Health Care hosted a ribbon cutting for its new in-house pharmacy in Emmett. Source: Idaho Press

• Dickey’s Barbeque Pit opened in Boise. Source: Idaho Statesman

Regional closures

• Subway will close its doors after a long history in downtown Meridian. Source: Idaho Statesman

• Sockeye Alehouse has closed its 12,000 square foot event center in Boise after last year’s restaurant and bar closure. The company continues to operate its founding operation — Sockeye Grill & Brewery in Boise. The equipment and furniture will be auctioned off before an event planner takes over the entire building. Source: Idaho Statesman

---

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.