Coeur d’Alene can still find construction workers, barely

As Idaho and its cities struggle with a construction labor shortage, Coeur d’Alene remains the shining light in adding construction jobs. The metro ranked No. 33 among the nation’s 358 metropolitan areas in December in job growth, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.

Coeur d’Alene added 500 construction jobs in December compared to the prior December to reach 5,200 or an 11 percent increase. The northern Idaho metro area has frequently ranked in the 30s on the AGC’s list in the past two years.

“There’s a lot of everything: residential, commercial and industrial construction,” said Leslie Streeter, executive director of the North Idaho Building Contractors Association.

The Coeur d’Alene population grew 13.9 percent from 2010 to 2016 and Kootenai County grew 11.4 percent, while Ada County grew 13.2 percent and Canyon County grew 12.1 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Boise and Lewiston, however, both with No. 1 fastest construction job growth percentages since 2016, languished in December at No. 267 and No. 348, respectively, with a 1 percent gain in Boise and 6 percent loss in Lewiston, a city where major projects by the largest employers have recently wrapped up.

Idaho Falls ranked No. 223 with a 3 percent construction job gain and Pocatello No. 340 with a 5 percent loss. Idaho as a state, also a former frequent Top 5 state in construction job growth in recent years, only ranked No. 36 of 50 in December with 2.6 percent job growth, according to AGC’s analysis of U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Construction leaders universally attribute the hiring slowdown to a shortage of available qualified construction workers. Even Coeur d’Alene is being held back in construction job growth.