A new information source, the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) program for Idaho, shows:

• The workforce is aging. From 1992 through 2002, an increasing percentage of the workforce was 45 years and older. The proportion of people 65 years and older who continue working has also increased, but slightly.
• Industries in which more than 1-in-5 workers were 55 years and older in 2002 include: local/suburban transit, motor freight transportation, and real estate. Of these, the local/suburban transit industry had relatively few older workers.
• An example of an industry with a high turnover rate for workers 55 years and older is the building construction — general contractors industry.
• An example of an industry with a low turnover rate for older workers is the legal services industry.
• Industries where workers 65 years and over are most likely to be employed include business services, health services, and social services.
• On average, in 2002, for workers 65 years and over, 1,180 jobs were gained and 1,533 were lost.
• Of the industries that employed more than 500 workers 65 years and older, the highest paying was health services ($2,094 a month). The industry with the highest average monthly earnings in 2002 for workers 65 years and older was construction other than building ($4,104), but the number of such workers was only 135.