State labor data details shifting hiring timelines and lower turnover across Idaho industries

According to labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Idaho Department of Labor, the state has experienced a shifting hiring landscape characterized by extended vacancies and changing turnover rates.

Throughout much of the past decade, Idaho employers filled open jobs at higher rates than the national average, often hiring roughly one worker per job vacancy. However, late 2024 marked a historic low for the state's vacancy yield at 0.6 hires per vacancy. The time needed to fill a position reached approximately 1.7 months in November 2023 before returning toward typical historical levels by 2025.

Industry dynamics show distinct patterns across the state. Construction hiring has expanded in response to residential building demand and population growth, and healthcare continues to grow alongside an aging populace. Accommodation and food services remain the state's largest hiring segment, while retail hiring has slowed as e-commerce expanded. Meanwhile, worker turnover—which stood at roughly 10% between 2015 and 2020 before rising to 11% in 2021 and 2022—declined to 10.1% in 2023 and 9.7% in 2024, its lowest rate in Idaho since 2014.