Statewide and regionally, occupational therapy took the top spot in vacancy rates, followed by other medical field-related jobs, farm and nursery laborers, secretaries and supervisors, according to the Labor Department's monthly Idaho Occupations in Demand Report.
With regional employment up 1.6 percent, employers are still looking for more people.
"A lot of companies are trying to make do without, when they have realized it's hard to get laborers right now," said Marcus Lutz, manager of Gem State Staffing. The company is increasingly taking calls from farmers wanting to fill positions, especially with irrigation and crop management.
"It definitely has been more of a struggle this year than in the past," Lutz said.
Occupational therapy had a vacancy rate of 130 percent for south-central Idaho, higher than its statewide rate of 58 percent. This rate is calculated by dividing the number of openings by the number employed in the field.
"I think there's a big demand for that occupation," said Janell Hyer, a research analyst for the Department of Labor. "The vacancies are still in health care."
Genesis Rehab is seeking one occupational therapist for Twin Falls, said Clinical Operations Area Director Kelli Spayd. The company contracts locally with the Twin Falls Care Center.
At Primary Therapy Source, staff just hired an assistant occupational therapist in March. While there were no openings as of Friday, Occupational Therapy Director Mandy Ovitt said she wouldn't hesitate to interview someone interested.
Unlike its name suggests, occupational therapy isn't only for those who are employed in the workforce. Occupational therapists assist with a variety of physical and mental barriers. Many children receive therapy to assist with their motor skills.
"For us, an occupation is anything that is meaningful or purposeful to you," Ovitt said.
Schools for this occupation are more scattered across the West, Spayd said, and sometimes have smaller graduation classes that are hard to keep in the state.
"New grads love to see the world," she said.
In the East, Spayd has seen more occupational therapists competing for jobs than employers competing for workers.
Medical secretaries, physical therapists and health service managers also made the top 10 in-demand jobs regionally.
Bryan Wright, owner of Wright Physical Therapy, said his business is trying to hire one physical therapist, after hiring two in May.