Malad volunteers recognized for community contributions

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 28, 2023
Media Contact: Renee.Bade@labor.idaho.gov

Photo: Gov. Brad Little , Patti Jones and Mark Jones, Farhana Hibbert.

Gov. Brad Little presented Idaho’s Brightest Star award to a pair of volunteers from Malad. Pictured left to right are the two honorees, Patti Jones and Mark Jones, Serve Idaho Commissioner Farhana Hibbert.and Gov. Little.

Two volunteers from Malad were honored for their service as part of the Idaho Capital for a Day event hosted by Gov. Brad Little Thursday.

Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, recognized Patti and Mark Jones of Malad with the Idaho’s Brightest Star Award for their exemplary volunteer service. The couple serves at multiple organizations including the Malad Senior Center, Heritage Square, Red Cross, the Idaho Farm Bureau and their church. The Oneida Crisis Center nominated the couple for the extensive work they do in supporting Carol’s Pantry, a local food pantry providing much needed relief for residents of the area.

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Employers: reserve a seat at Labor’s Teen and Young Adult Job Fair

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 19, 2023
Media Contact: Janalee.Henderson@labor.idaho.gov

Back by popular demand, the Idaho Department of Labor is hosting our annual Teen and Young Adult Job Fair in Meridian, May 13. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Galaxy Event Center at Wahooz Family Fun Zone, 1385 S. Blue Marlin Lane.

The department still has space available for employers wishing to participate.

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Idaho Labor, Valley County host April 26 Community Job Fair in Cascade

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 24, 2023
Media Contact: Michael.Savoie@labor.idaho.gov

An event April 26 in Cascade will showcase area community organizations and provide area residents information on potential careers.

The Community Job Fair will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Valley County Emergency Operations Center, located at 107 Sprint St.

Jobs in government, law enforcement, education, health care, retail, hospitality, recreation and more will be available. Positions range from entry level to advanced career opportunities, covering a full range of backgrounds and education levels.

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Idaho’s March unemployment rate remains at 2.6%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2023
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or John.Panter@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.6% in March, unchanged from February’s rate.

March’s labor force – workers who are employed or unemployed but looking for work – increased by 1,905 people (0.2%) to 960,017.

Idaho’s labor force participation was unchanged between February and March, remaining at 62.6%.

Total employment increased by 2,364 (0.3%) to 935,335 as unemployment decreased by 459 (-1.8%) to 24,682.

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Apprenticeship Spotlight: Hard work pays off for three machine operator graduates

Students who obtained their machine operator apprenticeship credential stand with their mentors.

Pictured left to right: Owner of High Desert Milk Karla Robinson, High Desert Milk instructor Tory Bailey, Luis Arevalo, Guillermo Martinez, Juvencio Trejo, plant manager Shawn Burton and Bob Snyder.

For student Guillermo Martinez, the Registered Apprenticeship program paved the path to his career.

“The program gave me a head start in life and helped get me ready to work 12 hour shifts. I have learned so much from the plant (High Desert Milk), and I feel I have a better chance of getting hired at other plants,” Martinez said.

The Idaho Department of Labor connects Idahoans to Registered Apprenticeship opportunities in the Gem State to expand and diversify the workforce. And the machine operator apprenticeship is graduating skilled workers in south central Idaho.

The Magic Valley area is host for multiple U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Registered Apprenticeship sponsorships. Various sponsors include the College of Southern Idaho, McCain Foods and High Desert Milk. They each have programs designed to train employees in operation maintenance for manufacturing, packaging, dehydration and use of other machines within a facility.

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Website refresh makes Idaho’s labor market data more accessible

Idaho’s Labor Market Information website (www.lmi.idaho.gov) has enjoyed a refresh that coincided with migration of its data to a new platform — WordPress.

Image: New LMI home pageIdaho Labor Market Information includes analysis and data on wages, jobs and the economy. It helps businesses recruit and retain a qualified workforce and make competitive business decisions for local and national wages. Job seekers, public officials, educators and students use labor market information to make career and education plans, and strategic business and policy decisions.

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60+ employers to attend April 19 Post Falls hiring event

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2023
Media Contact: Keeler.Crawford@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor’s Post Falls office will host its biggest hiring event of the year Wednesday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. More than 60 employers are slated to attend the event, taking place at Real Life Ministries, 1860 N. Cecil Road in Post Falls.

Employers from northern Idaho and Spokane are recruiting for positions in multiple industries. Some include HireQuest Direct, Aerotek, U.S. Postal Service, Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest., ATC Manufacturing, Sunshine Mining, Lake Pend Oreille School District #84 and Life Care of America.

A sampling of job openings includes restoration technicians, material handlers, RN/LPNs, heavy equipment operator, medical assistant, carpenters, job coach, janitors, warehouse order selectors and many more.

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April 11 webinar: Importance of rare-earth elements on Idaho’s labor market

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 4, 2023
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

Rare-earth elements, including the types, uses and labor market impact will be discussed during a free webinar, April 11, 11 a.m. to noon (MDT) via Zoom.

These elements consist of 17 metals used in electrical components, engines and more.

Idaho Department of Labor economist Ryan Whitesides said there are employment shifts within the rare-earth and critical mining industry, mostly in eastern Idaho, Lemhi and surrounding counties, from where their workers may commute.  Continue reading →

Idaho’s 2022 county estimates indicate population growth is slowing

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2023
Media Contact: Jan.Roeser@labor.idaho.gov

Net migration was the driver behind 34,719 people added to Idaho’s population from July 2021 to July 2022, accounting for 88% of its growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released this week. The gains were mostly from domestic in-migration – people moving to Idaho from other states – rather than from another country or international in-migration.

Photo: aerial of MeridianThe bureau also reported a population growth slowdown for many counties since the height of the pandemic. The release included revised estimates for 2020 and 2021, along with components of change to explain upticks or troughs from the previous year.

The remaining share of the state’s population growth, nearly 12%, was from natural change – when births outweigh deaths. In 22 counties, deaths outweighed births, resulting in negative natural change, but those losses were offset with net migration growth. This set Idaho apart from the almost three-fourths of all counties nationally that reported more deaths than births, or natural decline.

Since the decennial census – April 2020 – net migration accounted for 91% of population change in Idaho, slightly above the 88% of the past year.

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Around Idaho: Economic Activity, March 2023

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

Region

  • Labor demand in northern Idaho remains robust, with elevated levels of unfilled jobs. All told, there were 1,843 unique job postings in northern Idaho in February 2023, according to data from The Conference Board, with 1,547 posted in Kootenai County. The most in-demand occupation by far was registered nurses, followed by a variety of high-turnover and common service sector positions.

Top 10 occupations by job postings in northern Idaho, February 2023

Table: Top 10 occupations by job postings in northern Idaho, February 2023Source: Conference Board data via Lightcast (formerly EMSI-Burning Glass)

Bonner County

  • Bonner General Hospital will end its labor and delivery services in the coming months, citing physician turnover and staffing shortages as reason. In 2022, 265 babies were delivered at Bonner General. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Kootenai County

  • The Coeur d’Alene City Council is annexing a 440-acre parcel of county land, which will be zoned residential and commercial and developed as Coeur Terre. The development, which will be built out over multiple decades, is expected to eventually include 2,800 housing units, retail and restaurant areas, 18 acres of parks, and land for two public schools. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Several new health care facilities are under construction in Hayden. A two-story building for the future Hayden Surgery Center is now in progress, and Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine is building a new location in Hayden as well. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

Openings

  • Medical Massage, Coeur d’Alene
  • Fit Body Boot Camp, Coeur d’Alene
  • Northwest Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine, Athol
  • Quality Stoves and Spas, Post Falls
  • Toys R Us, Coeur d’Alene

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

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