The construction industry in Idaho is a leader in workforce expansion and has seen significant growth over the past decade. From 2014 to 2023, employment has almost doubled and added nearly 31,000 workers [2]. This was despite being interrupted by a short recession. For industry growth to have occurred, there had to be available workers to meet the demand.

First, it’s important to note where the construction labor demand is located in Idaho, taking industry job postings and geography into consideration. The job posting demand for commercial, residential and infrastructure construction occupations has been concentrated mostly in Ada, Bonneville, Bannock, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls counties the past 10 years, shown in Figure 1 [1]. Naturally, construction sector growth has also been more prevalent in these same counties where the majority of the population growth for the state has occurred.

Figure 1. Idaho construction job postings by county, September 2014 – 2024

Next, the supply of construction workers that comprised the workforce for the past 10 years in Idaho is also important. The largest share of construction employment is from Ada, Bannock, Blaine, Bonner, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls counties, shown in Figure 2 [2].

Not only are these counties some of the largest population centers in the state, but they are where the largest construction projects have been located. The projects include residential developments, commercial building, road and bridge projects.

For example, the three-year Flying Y Interchange project on two freeways in Bannock County currently employs multiple large construction crews [3]. Over 10 major commercial construction projects are underway in Ada and Canyon Counties and employ about 4,000 workers [4].

Another example consists of a major multi-year construction project in the eastern region at the Idaho National Laboratory for the Sample Preparation Laboratory, Pele, LOTUS, DOME and Naval Reactors Facility.  This project alone, has employed over 3,000 contractors and construction workers [5,6]. With only just a few of these major projects named throughout the state, thousands of construction contractors and laborers in multiple skilled trades are required.

On a broader scope, the largest share of construction employment in Idaho compared to other states, is shown in Figure 3. Most of the construction workers that commuted or relocated to Idaho from 2014 to 2023 were from Washington, followed by California, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon and Texas [7].

The draw to the Gem State shows the high demand for construction labor because of a relatively lower cost of living, among other reasons. And most construction projects in Idaho are seasonal, as they are in other intermountain states, which necessitates short-term worker movement.

Footnote for Figure 3 – The darkest shades of blue represent the most transplanted workers from the state in comparison to Idaho.

Many out-of-state construction workers in Idaho are contractors taking on specific projects rather than permanent placement with construction companies. The trendline in Figure 4 showcases that the local and out-of-state skilled construction contractors share of the 2023 total construction workforce has doubled to 82% since 2014 [8,9]. This reinforces the need for a diverse workforce dynamically adapted to modern construction project demands, timelines and workmanship.

The decade of employment growth in the state’s construction industry has been widely attributed to labor from out of state, contractors, the local workforce and recruitment from technical education programs. An example of this, is trade apprenticeships.

This is the direction the industry has been moving towards since 2014. The growing reliance on contractors both from inside and outside the state has provided a value-added solution to supplement staffing shortages. It indicates a higher demand for a skilled labor force, where traditional construction workers alone cannot fully meet this demand. This trend also mirrors the overall expansion of the construction sector in Idaho, a significant driver of overall employment and economic output.

The state is poised for continued leading-edge construction growth and will need to attract contractors, long-term employees and apprentices both inside and outside the state to meet the labor demand. The Idaho Department of Labor long-term projections for 2022 to 2032 have industry employment — building construction, heavy and civil engineering construction and specialty trade contracting — increasing by 25.6% or 16,463 jobs [10]. Although worker shortages occur in many industries, as they have over the past four years in construction, innovative solutions to fulfill the labor demand and staff positions are at the forefront of workforce development and employer agendas.

Sources:

1. The Conference Board: Help Wanted Online
2. Idaho Department of Labor: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
3. itd.idaho.gov
4. boisedev.com
5. defense.gov
6. energy.gov
7. U.S. Census Bureau Job2Job Flows program
8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. Louis Federal Reserve
10. Idaho Department of Labor: long- term occupational projections, 2022 – 2032

Ryan.Whitesides@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
Idaho Department of Labor
(208) 696-2347

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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 (60%) totaling $885,703.

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