News Release

For Immediate Release: Feb. 25, 2019
Information Contact: Craig Shaul, (208) 332-3570 ext. 3201

— New Poster With Income Details Now Available —

Idaho Department of Labor research shows education beyond high school can mean higher wages, more promotional opportunities and fewer chances of being unemployed.

In Idaho the average worker with a bachelor’s degree earns $461 dollars more each week than the average worker with only a high school diploma. This difference adds up quickly to $23,972 per year and nearly three quarters of a million dollars – $719,160 – over the course of a person’s prime working years. The gap is substantially larger for workers with advanced degrees like master’s and doctorate degrees.

Workers with higher levels of education are also far less likely to be unemployed. Last year, the Idaho unemployment rate for workers with bachelor’s degrees was only 2.5 percent, compared with 4.6 percent for those with only high school diplomas. The disparity in unemployment rates is even higher when the economy is performing poorly. During the most recent recession the unemployment rates for workers with only high school diplomas reached as high as 11 percent. In comparison, unemployment among workers with college degrees never reached higher than 5 percent during that time.

The information is contained in the department’s “Education and Training Pay” poster, which is available to download from the Idaho Labor website in an 8½ x 11-inch version or an 11 x 17-inch version.

Larger versions of the poster are available to schools and other groups by contacting a local Idaho Department of Labor office. Refer to Labor’s office directory for locations and contact information.

In addition to detailing the kind of income workers with different levels of education can expect, the large poster includes 20 “hot jobs” – occupations that are projected to be the highest paying, fastest growing and most numerous in Idaho between now and 2026.

Among the top occupations are registered nurse, software applications developer, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, information security analysts and industrial machinery mechanic.

A separate 8 ½” x 11” flyer listing the 20 “hot jobs” is also available for download on the Labor website. It includes more detail for each occupation – the typical education level required, the number of jobs to be added annually, percent growth rate and median wage.

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