long-term projections

Idaho’s labor market is expected to continue its robust expansion through the end of the decade, according to new long-term employment projections from the Idaho Department of Labor.

The new estimates, which cover the period from 2020 to 2030, project an employment growth rate for Idaho of 1.5% per year, bringing total employment to 933,563 in 2030. This forecast is consistent with Idaho’s record of strong job creation in recent years – which includes rapid growth from 2010 to 2020, and an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that was among the strongest in the nation.

Idaho’s long-term projected growth rate of 1.5% is significantly higher than the national forecast. The most recent projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipate a national growth rate of approximately 0.7% annually – less than half the projected growth rate for Idaho. This is consistent with recent experience; Idaho has consistently been among the leaders in job growth among the states, and the growth rate in Idaho has exceeded the national rate nine years in a row, starting in 2012.