Around South Central Idaho: Economic activity, October 2024

Seth Harrington, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 696-2364
Region labor market information
  • Labor demand in south central Idaho remained stable in September with a total of 2,734 unique job postings, decreasing 1% from the 2,706 unique postings in August. The unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, having increased 0.4% from September 2023. Additionally over the past year, total employment increased 1.3%.
Figure 1.
South central Idaho seasonally adjusted dataSep-24 (P)Aug-24 (R)
Sep-23 (B)
Civilian labor force108,140109,121106,312
Total employment104,327105,257102,991
Unemployment3,8133,8643,312
% of labor force unemployed3.5%3.5%3.1%
Source: Idaho Department of LaborP – PreliminaryR – RevisedB – Benchmarked
Figure 2.
Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central IdahoPostings, Sep-24Postings, Sep-23
Retail salespersons14696
Registered nurses12190
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers11092
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers7288
Laborers, freight, stock material movers and hand5432
Customer service representatives4970
Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products4328
Maintenance and repair workers, general4336
Drivers and sales workers4038
Fast food and counter workers3928
Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast
Figure 3
Top 10 industries by unique job postings in south central IdahoPostings, Sep-24Postings, Sep-23
Retail trade461379
Health care and social assistance435250
Manufacturing339254
Wholesale trade143105
Finance and insurance11875
Accomodation and food services115163
Construction10849
Professional, scientific and technical services9693
Public administration9066
Information8726
Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast
Figure 4
Top 10 hardest-to-fill occupations in south central IdahoDays to fill, Sep-24Days to fill, Sep-23
Secondary school teachers, except special, career and technical education59N/A
Pharmacists5858
Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation and relay58N/A
Surgical technologists5629
Cooks and fast food55N/A
Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining55N/A
Sales and related workers, all other5330
Securities, commodities and financial services sales agents5130
Natural science managers505
Training and development specialists4933
Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast
Blaine County

  • The Sun Valley based nonprofit Higher Ground will be able to expand its programming for veterans with disabilities thanks to a nearly $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Specifically, the grant will go towards sustaining regular mountain biking, fishing and ski trips for disabled veterans throughout the Wood River Valley. Source: Idaho Mountain Express
Minidoka County

  • Mart Group has opened a new potato processing plant in Rupert. The plant will produce many different potato products, including a fully baked frozen potato called an OH!Tatoe, a very popular product in the Japanese market. The plant expects to add 80 jobs to the local economy and be fully functioning by the end of October. Source: KMVT
Twin Falls County

  • The Center for Community Health, which provides resources and support for those in need, has opened in Twin Falls. The center helps community members apply for Medicaid, food stamps, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, as well as navigate housing and utility assistance. Overall, it will be a useful community resource for information and services. Source: KMVT

This Idaho Department of Labor project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor for SFY25 as part of the Workforce Information grant (40%) and state/nonfederal funds (60%) totaling $885,703.

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.

Around South Central Idaho: Economic activity, September 2024

Seth Harrington, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 696-2364

Region

  • Labor demand in south central Idaho remained stable in August 2024, with a total of 2,753 unique job postings in the region, a 5.4% decrease from 2,912 unique postings in July 2024. The unemployment rate remained at 3.5% from July 2024 and has increased 0.3% from August 2023. Total employment has increased 2.6% over the past year.
Figure 1.
South central Idaho seasonally adjusted dataAugust-24 (P)July-24 (R)
August – 23 (B)
Civilian labor force109,678109,032106,539
Total employment105,802105,218103,151
Unemployment3,8763,8143,388
% of labor force unemployed3.5%3.5%3.2%
Source: Idaho Department of LaborP – PreliminaryR – RevisedB – Benchmarked
Continue reading

Around South Central Idaho: Economic activity, August 2024

Seth Harrington, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 696-2364
Figure 1.
Top 10 occupations by unique job postings in south central Idaho, June 2024Postings, Jun-24
Postings, Jun-23
Retail salespersons13699
Registered nurses135127
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers13473
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers7275
Customer service representatives6160
Cashiers5836
Sales representatives, wholesale, manufacturing, except technical and scientific products5428
Laborers and freight, stock, material movers and hand5134
Fast food and counter workers4823
General and operations managers4745
Source: Conference Board via Lightcast

Continue reading “Around South Central Idaho: Economic activity, August 2024”