Monthly Archives: May 2025

Shelley volunteer recognized for contributions

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 30, 2025
Media Contact: Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

Patricia MorrisA volunteer from Shelley was honored for her service at the Idaho Capital for a Day event hosted by Gov. Brad Little, Wednesday, May 28.

Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, recognized Patricia Morris with the Idaho’s Brightest Star Award for her exceptional volunteer service.

Morris was nominated by the Shelley Senior Center for her dedicated work supporting their mission to promote, coordinate and integrate their programs across Northern Bingham County. Morris served on the board of directors for the center for six years and has volunteered there for nine years. Continue reading →

Around Idaho: Economic activity, May 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of May and includes professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO

Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

Regional news

Kootenai County

  • North Idaho College’s (NIC) trustees voted unanimously to bring forward a $58.9 million budget for fiscal year 2026 which includes the college’s first tuition increase since 2019. The budget proposal includes a tuition increase of $5.50 per credit for in-district students and $6 per credit for all other students. The budget proposal would shrink NIC’s budget deficit from $5.2 million in fiscal year 2025 to $1.2 million in the upcoming fiscal year. Even with the proposed tuition increase, NIC’s tuition rates would remain tied with the College of Southern Idaho, which is the lowest in the state. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • School levies in Post Falls and Lakeland School District passed with 62% and 66% support, respectively. Post Falls passed a $5.9 million per year supplemental levy which will support extracurriculars, school safety measures, staff salaries andother items. Lakeland passed a $7.5 million per year supplemental levy. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • The Post Falls City Council approved a $11.7 million project to design and build a new public works operations center. The new facility will eventually house the city’s streets, water operations and utility divisions. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Continue reading →

Idaho sees growth in startup jobs and new business applications in 2024

A positive byproduct of “startups” — defined as new private establishments open for less than a year — are the jobs they create. While Idaho’s startups account for a smaller share of private jobs now than in the 1990s, the state’s total employment has benefitted from them, growing from around 15,000 jobs in 1994 to over 27,000 jobs in 2024 — a 79.6% overall increase, or 2.2% annually.

Idaho finds itself in a healthy state of net job growth from startups, especially over the past 14 years when the greatest growth occurred. Figure 1 below plots the employment of startups in Idaho and the U.S. from 1994-2024. Despite a slight employment decrease in 2023, Idaho job growth from startups was again on the rise in 2024. Nationally, however, net job growth from startups dropped 14.6% from 1994-2024, a 1.4% decline per year. Continue reading →

Coeur d’Alene hiring event takes place, Wednesday, June 4

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 28, 2025
Media Contact: Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

A hiring event will be held Wednesday, June 4, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Library, 702 E. Front Ave.

Employers planning to attend include All Ways Caring HomeCare, Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, Comfort Keepers, Easterseals-Goodwill, Environmental Control, Harris & Bruno, North Idaho College, Kootenai Health, North Idaho Dental Group, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and more.

Continue reading →

Learn about Idaho’s startup business activity at a webinar, May 28

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 21, 2025
Media Contact: Ryan.Whitesides@labor.idaho.gov

New business startups (private establishments that have been open less than a year) have grown at a rapid rate during 2024, creating over 27,000 jobs in Idaho. The state’s employment rate from business startups is currently greater in Idaho than nationally.

Idaho Department of Labor Economist Ryan Whitesides will analyze this data at a webinar, Wednesday, May 28, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Continue reading →

Idaho’s April unemployment rate remains at 3.7%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2025
Media Contact: John.Panter@labor.idaho.gov or Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged between March and April, remaining at 3.7%.

April’s labor force increased by 494 people to 1,012,142 while the labor force participation rate – the percentage of people 16 years of age or older who are either employed or looking for work – decreased by 0.1 percentage point between March and April, down to 63.6%.

Total employment increased by 815 (0.1%) to 974,842 as unemployment decreased by 321 (-0.9%) to 37,300. Continue reading →

Several Idaho cities rank in national top 100 list for population growth for 2020-2024

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2025
Media Contact: Jan.Roeser@labor.idaho.gov or
Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

The cumulative population growth of five Idaho cities from 2020-2024 ranked in the top 100 nationally — Caldwell was in 51st place at 21.5%, followed by Kuna in 54th (21%), Post Falls in 70th (18.6%), Meridian in 71st (18.6%) and Nampa in 91st (16.8%), according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The combined population of Idaho’s 202 incorporated* cities grew by 1.8% from 2023-2024, outpacing the state’s overall growth of 1.5%. Continue reading →

Post Falls hiring event offers employment opportunities

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 14, 2025
Media Contact: Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

A hiring event will be held Wednesday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Idaho Department of Labor Post Falls office, 600 N. Thornton St.

Employers planning to attend include Ace Industrial Supply, Benewah Community Hospital, Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, Equus Workforce Solutions, Inland Chess Academy, North Idaho Dental Professionals, FirstLight Home Care of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Sherwin Williams and more.

Continue reading →

Explore a career in the trades at a hiring event in Caldwell, May 15

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2025
Media Contact: Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

A hiring event featuring trade industries, will be held Thursday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Idaho Department of Labor Caldwell office, 4514 Thomas Jefferson St.

Employers planning to attend include the Idaho Associated General Contractors, Johnson Thermal Systems, Wilsons RV Repair, Probst Electric, Idaho LAUNCH, City of Caldwell, Lurre Construction and more.

A variety of open positions will be available including engineers, painters, assemblers, linemen, heavy equipment mechanics, electricians, wastewater engineers, construction workers and more.

Continue reading →