Tag Archives: Labor market information

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

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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.

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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 →

Around Idaho: Economic activity, April 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of April 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

  • Hagadone Hospitality broke ground on the new Sherman Tower, which will be a 15-story expansion of the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The tower will feature 139 guest rooms in addition to nearly 10,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space. The opening is scheduled for the spring of 2027. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • Two new hotels are under construction in Kootenai County. In Coeur d’Alene, a Marriott-branded AC Hotel is now under construction, which will have 126 guest rooms and open in 2027. Work was previously underway on a 151-room Hyatt Place Hotel in Post Falls, which will open in December. Source: Journal of Business
  • The developers of the new Thomas George luxury high-rise condominium tower in Coeur d’Alene announced that construction is scheduled for completion this year, with residents moving in by years’ end. The top floors of the 80-unit, 18 story tower have been poured. Source: Journal of Business

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Rising cost of child care affects Idaho’s labor market

Child care is a question thousands of parents across Idaho must answer. Prices for child care have increased since 2020 and instability in the child care sector has resulted in thousands of Idahoans going part time or leaving the workforce to fill the gap.

While not the sole contributing factor, the cost of child care remains a major barrier for a significant portion of Idaho’s potential labor force.

Idaho is still experiencing historic labor market tightness despite recent softening. From January to December 2024, the unemployment rate in Idaho increased from 3.3% to 3.8% while the U.S. rate increased from 3.7% to 4.1%. Continue reading →

Idaho’s March unemployment rate remains at 3.7%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 18, 2025
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Will.Hoenike@labor.idaho.gov

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

March’s labor force decreased by 667 (-0.1%) people to 1,011,659 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 February and March, down to 63.7%.

Total employment decreased by 339 to 974,031 as unemployment decreased by 328 (-0.9%) to 37,628.

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Learn about how the cost of child care affects Idaho’s labor force, April 8

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2025
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

Twelve percent of working parents reported using daycare as a means for child care support in Idaho, compared to 55% of parents having no support or 26% of parents having child care support from relatives.

Idaho Department of Labor Economist Brandon Duong will delve into this topic and provide context into how the cost of child care impacts the state’s labor force at a webinar, Tuesday, April 8.

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Construction industry has highest percentage growth in Idaho

Idaho’s construction industry is one of the top industries, besides health care and social assistance, with the highest percentage growth in Idaho. The industry has grown over 60% from 2004 to 2024, driven by accelerated population gains and economic development from the past few decades.

Employment

Construction employment declined by 44% (or 22,887 people) during 2007-2011 as a consequence from the Great Recession’s impact on the economy. As the economy continued to recover after the Great Recession, so did construction employment with consistent growth over the past decade. Construction employment passed its previous 2007 peak in 2020 and has continued to experience growth with the current average employment in 2024 consisting of 66,389 private construction workers in Idaho.

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Idaho’s February unemployment rate drops to 3.7%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: March 28, 2025
Media Contact: William.Winkle@labor.idaho.gov or Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

– State first in nation for over-the-year nonfarm job growth at 2.7% –

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point between January and February, down to 3.7%.

February’s labor force increased by 433 people to 1,012,372 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 January and February, down to 63.8%.

Total employment increased by 797 (0.1%) to 974,409 as unemployment decreased by 364 (0.9%) to 37,963. Continue reading →

Around Idaho: Economic activity, March 2025

Map of IdahoInformation provided in these news updates is collected up until the end of March 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

  • Kootenai Health and MultiCare have announced plans to develop a new 30-acre medical campus, called Prairie Medical Campus, on the Highway 41 corridor in Post Falls. Phase 1 will include a micro-hospital with an emergency department and imaging, along with a multi-story facility for ambulatory surgery, laboratory services and clinic offices. Development will begin in 2025 with a 24-to-36-month completion timetable for the first phase. Source: MultiCare Newsroom
  • The first phase of construction at the Millworx development has been completed, with over 200 residential units, including townhouses and multifamily residences, completed. In addition, a four-story mixed-use building has been completed with residential space available on the ground floors and residential units now available on upper levels. A 151-room hotel is still under construction and is expected to be completed by year-end. Source: Journal of Business

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