Category Archives: Employers

2021 Census estimates show Idaho’s urban cities continue to see population gains

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 1, 2022
Media Contact: Jan.Roeser@labor.idaho.gov or Sam.Wolkenhauer@labor.idaho.gov

Four southwestern Idaho cities ranked in the top five slots for population growth in the state from 2020 to 2021 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 Vintage Population Estimates.* Idaho Falls, ranked fourth and was the lone city outside of southwestern Idaho to rank in the top five.

Boise remained Idaho’s largest city, followed by Meridian, Nampa, Idaho Falls and Caldwell. Meridian edged out Nampa as Idaho’s second largest city in 2014 with the population difference increasing each year. Rankings for the top 15 Idaho cities by population size are shown in Table 1, with one change from 2020 — Kuna displaced Moscow for the No.13 spot.

Nationally, Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa ranked 13, 14 and 15 of the fastest-growing cities of 50,000 residents or more across the U.S., each at or above 5% growth rate.

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Around Idaho: Economic Activity in May 2022

Information provided in these news updates is from professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern
Eastern Idaho

 

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

  • The nonprofit urban planning and community development organization, CDA 2030, published a new “Vision and Implementation Plan” for the greater Coeur d’Alene community. The plan outlines 134 actions and recommendations related to housing, park space, conservation and other quality-of-life items for the area. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • North Idaho College received a $524,000 grant from the Idaho Workforce Development Training Fund to support its Workforce Training Center. The grant will fund apprenticeship programs for tradespeople and heavy equipment operators in the construction industry. The goal is to help meet the region’s enormous need for construction labor. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Openings – Coeur d’Alene

  • Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop
  • CDA Pet Market
  • Stylus Wine & Vinyl Bar
  • Integrity Mental Health
  • CaterCDA
  • Lake City Deluxe Barbershop
  • Brandon Cope Massage
  • Patriot Hangout
  • Sarah Hamilton FACE

Post Falls

  • Auto Paint Plus
  • North Idaho Urology
  • St Joseph’s Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Clinic

Hayden

  • Open Arms

Sam.Wolkenhauer@labor.idaho.gov, regional economist
(208) 457-8789 ext. 4451

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Labor expands employment services in southeastern Idaho

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 26, 2022
Media Contact: Jill.Kleist@labor.idaho.gov

Job search, resume assistance available in seven southeastern Idaho communities – from American Falls to the Utah border.

Idahoans living in rural southeastern Idaho have more options for obtaining services from the Idaho Department of Labor.

With a variety of office hours in seven regional mobile locations – Aberdeen, American Falls, Blackfoot, Malad, Montpelier, Preston and Soda Springs – customers can access services such as resume writing, filling out job applications, preparing for an interview, filing for unemployment benefits and learning about training resources.

These mobile sites are in addition to Labor’s full-service office in Pocatello.

All mobile locations offer walk-in hours and appointments staffed with an Idaho Department of Labor workforce consultant.

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Idaho population projected to top 2 million by 2031

Recent population projections from the Idaho Department of Labor anticipate Idaho will continue its record of rapid growth, with the total statewide population crossing over 2 million for the first time by 2031.

The 2020 Census revealed the Gem State was the second-fastest growing state in the nation over the decade from 2010 to 2020, and single-year population estimates have ranked Idaho as the fastest-growing state for the past five years.

Idaho’s Labor Department’s latest projections anticipate a statewide growth rate of 1.1% per year over the 10-year period from 2021 to 2031, adding a total of 227,880 new residents to the state. This will raise Idaho’s population from 1,888,533 in 2021 to 2,116,413 in 2031.

All six of Idaho’s substate regions are expected to grow over the coming decade, with southwestern Idaho leading at 16.3% projected growth, followed by northern Idaho at 13%. These two regions together are expected to account for more than three quarters of the state’s total growth.

TABLE 1: Projected population growth by region

Projected Population Growth by Idaho Region

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Vacancy rates provide insight to hiring challenges

The exceptionally tight labor market in Idaho has left many employers hard-pressed to fill job openings. The monthly vacancy yield rate – the number of hires each month relative to the number of job openings at the end of the previous month – provides a barometer for employers’ ability to fill openings while its inverse provides an implied number of months to fill an opening.

An unprecedentedly tight labor market

Well before the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic disruptions it brought, the Idaho labor market would have been characterized as “tight,” but once businesses and the economy at-large reopened, the excess demand for workers relative to their supply only intensified.

One key barometer of a labor market is the ratio of job openings, or vacancies, to the unemployed, which is how macroeconomists typically define a labor market’s “tightness.” The larger the number, the more job openings are chasing after a fixed number of idle workers. For high ratios, we would typically expect to see wages rise as employers are forced to compete for limited talent; conversely, for small ratios, we would expect wages to fall as workers are forced to compete for a limited number of jobs.

Figure 1 plots the monthly job openings-to-unemployed ratio for Idaho as well as the United States for 2001-2021, adjusted for seasonality effects. For the entire sample, the average labor market tightness was about 0.81 openings for every unemployed Idahoan. Throughout 2021 the ratio hovered between 1.5 and 2, and by year’s end it reached a record 2.18.

Figure: labor market tightness

Note: Job openings are for total nonfarm jobs.
Source: Idaho Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Hispanics, minorities continue to boost Idaho’s economic growth

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 28, 2022
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

The economic influence of Idaho’s minorities and Hispanic populations has continued to expand over the past 10 years and projections show it’s not likely to slow down.

Growth in buying power for nearly all cultures in Idaho outpaced the U.S. average, according to estimates provided by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. From 2010 to 2020, Idaho experienced some of the highest multicultural consumer growth in spending across all U.S. states. White people, Black people and American Indians ranked in the top five highest percent change of consumer spending over this time period. 

Chart: growth in consumer spending 2010 to 2020, Idaho and the U.S. Continue reading →

April 27 employer online seminar focuses on employee retention

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2022
Media contact: Clinton.Renn@labor.idaho.gov

Southeastern Idaho employers are invited to a free Zoom seminar Wednesday, April 27, 9 to 10 a.m., to discuss employee retention.

Representatives from local businesses Spudnik, A & E Engineering and East Idaho Credit Union, will share best practices on how they retain talent, followed by a Q & A with participants.

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Idaho’s March unemployment rate falls to historic low of 2.7%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 15, 2022
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Karen.JarboeSingletary@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.7% in March – down from February’s rate of 2.8%. This marks a new record low since the series began in 1976.

The number of Idahoans employed or looking for work grew by 5,082 people (0.5%) to 932,278. Labor force participation increased by 0.2 percentage points between February and March to 62%. Idaho’s peak participation rate reached 71.4% in September 1998.

Total employment grew from February by 6,467 (0.7%) to 907,537 while total unemployment dropped by 1,385 (-5.3%) to 24,741.

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Idaho employers save time, money using SIDES E-Response for unemployment claims.

Idaho employers can save time and money by responding to information requests for unemployment insurance claims filed by former employees in a secure, electronic environment.

SIDES logoSIDES (State Information Data Exchange System) is a simple tool to help employers respond to unemployment insurance requests in a quick, accurate, automated and secure way. The system is operating in 47 states, the District of Columbia and two territories.

“Responding to claims using SIDES E-Response saves Idaho employers hours of time and effort,” said Tyler Smith, SIDES coordinator for the Idaho Department of Labor. “The system is user friendly, intuitive and much more efficient than using paper.”

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McCall Labor Office moves to 1st Street

-Mobile employment services also available in Cascade, Council and New Meadows-

Idahoans living in remote, rural areas of Idaho’s West Central Mountains can now access state employment services in Cascade, Council, McCall and New Meadows.

The Idaho Department of Labor’s McCall mobile office is operating from a new location. Central District Health Department at 701 1st St. in McCall is sharing its space for walk-in Labor customers on Mondays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., (closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch) and on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Additional meeting times are available by appointment.

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