Job Shortages
The tables below show the top three occupations that are projected from 2018-2028 of Idaho employers based on the level of education they require. There is a state minimum wage of $7.25 in Idaho. The one highlighted occupation under each of the three education levels has been selected to expand on in terms of potential career advancement.
Potential Career Advancement
1) Personal Care Aide to Certified Nursing Assistant
Personal Care Aide Job Description:
- Provide assistance to individuals with disability or illness in completing daily tasks
Entry Level Requirements:
- Certification is not required and there are no statutory training requirements in Idaho
- Employers may prefer some experience in home care as a minimum qualification
Certified Nursing Assistant Job Description:
- Assist with basic care including the monitoring of health status & medication administration
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Graduate from a certified nursing assistant program in Idaho
- After education program complete, must pass a series of exams (manual skills & written/oral)
2) Bookkeeping, Accounting & Audit Clerks to Accountant & Auditor
Bookkeeping, Accounting & Audit Clerk Job Description:
- Compute, classify and record numerical data to keep financial records accurate and complete
Entry Level Requirements:
- Certification is not required by Idaho law, but an Associate’s degree is generally preferred
- Accounting training programs in Idaho are listed here
Accountant & Auditor Job Description:
- Analyze financial information and prepare financial reports on activities in an organization
Career Advancement Requirements:
- A Bachelor’s degree with Accounting concentration
- At least 1 year of accounting experience
- Pass the CPA exam
- Pass the AICPA Ethics exam with minimum score of 90
- State residency and social security number are required, but there is no citizenship requirement
3) Registered Nurse to Nurse Practitioner
Registered Nurse Job Description:
- Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and administer nursing care
Entry Level Requirements:
- Complete a state-approved nursing program
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) exam ($200)
Nurse Practitioner Job Description:
- Diagnose and treat patients independently or as part of a healthcare team
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Earn a graduate degree in a chosen nursing specialization
- Become nationally certified by an accredited agency & become licensed in Idaho
Immigration in Idaho
The following are facts about the immigrant community in Idaho:
- Immigrants comprise 6% of the state population and 8% of the Idaho labor force
- Top industries of immigrant employment:
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, 13,810 workers
- Manufacturing, 12,713 workers
- Health Care and Social Assistance, 9,144 workers
- Accommodation and Food Services, 6,851 workers
- Retail Trade, 6,264 workers
- 4,956 immigrant business owners account for 5% of all self-employed Idaho residents
- 43% of immigrants in Idaho are naturalized and another 37% are undocumented
- Top foreign-born countries of origin:
- Mexico, 52%
- Canada, 5%
- Philippines, 5%
- China, 3%
- Germany, 2%
- 8% of native-born Idahoans are children of an immigrant
- Educational attainment of foreign-born adults in Idaho:
- High School diploma or less – 63%
- More than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree – 19%
- Bachelor’s degree or higher – 18%
- Share of Brain Waste* – 24%
* Share of immigrant professionals, who are unemployed, employed at poverty-level wages in High School diploma or less jobs, or significantly underemployed in more than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree jobs
Sources
Jobs
Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), Projections Central – State Occupational Projections, “Long Term Occupational Projection (2018-2028)”; http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, “Education and training assignments by detailed occupation,” 2019; https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-and-training-by-occupation.htm
National Council of State Legislatures, “State Minimum Wages”, December 2020; http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx#Table
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, “Employees on Nonfarm Payrolls by State, Seasonally adjusted”, November 2020; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm
Potential Career Advancement
National Conference of State Legislatures, “The National Occupational Licensing Database”, March 2020: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing-statute-database.aspx
Immigration
American Immigration Council, State by State Fact Sheet, August 2020; https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/state-by-state