Meta Data Center Job Creation

Imported Construction Labor and Local Labor Scarcity

A. Project Contractors and Labor Sourcing (Org Chart)

·         Owner: Meta Platforms, Inc. (Project “Meta Kuna Data Center”) – 960,000 sq ft hyperscale facility in Kuna, Idahocommerce.idaho.gov 1boisedev.com 2.

·         General Contractor (GC): Hensel Phelps – HQ: Greeley, CO. Selected by Meta to design-build the Kuna data center (awarded $800 M contract)henselphelps.com 3idahostatesman.com 4.

·         Local Partner GC: Engineered Structures Inc. (ESI) – HQ: Meridian, ID. Assisted Hensel Phelps on-siteidahostatesman.com 5.

·         Key Subcontractors:

·         Cupertino Electric, Inc. – HQ: San Jose, CA. NECA contractor for electrical and low-voltage build-out. Staffed with IBEW travelers (out-of-area union electricians) due to local hall shortageinstagram.com 6governing.com 7.

·         LPR Construction – HQ: Loveland, CO. Steel erection contractor (ironworkers). Offered $550/week per diem + travel pay to attract journeyman ironworkers from out of statefacebook.com 8.

·         ASI Constructors – HQ: Pueblo West, CO. Concrete/civil subcontractor (imported operators and formwork crews; Idaho’s Operating Engineers supplemented with travelers).

·         Summit Fire & Security – HQ: McKinney, TX. Fire suppression subcontractor (specialty technicians).

·         Pipe/Mechanical Contractors (UA Local 296) – Multiple firms (e.g. Harder Mechanical – HQ: Portland, OR) provided traveling plumbers/pipefittersreddit.com 9. UA 296 leadership noted “Micron, Meta and a second data center… should keep fitters busy for a while,” with rumors of much more work coming to Kuna.

Labor Structure: At peak ~1,200–1,400 trade workers were on site (see Section F), vastly exceeding the local skilled labor availablegoverning.com 10idahostatesman.com 11. The project drew union “travelers” from across the West and non-union craft workers via national contractors. Local firms (ESI, etc.) provided logistical support, but the majority of craft labor was imported due to Idaho’s limited construction workforce. Figure A1 illustrates the project’s organization and labor inflows.

facebook.com 12

B. Local Labor Market Indicators and Slack Index (Ada & Canyon Counties)

Historic Labor Tightness: The Meta project broke ground in Sep. 2022 amid an extremely tight Treasure Valley labor market. Ada County’s unemployment rate averaged only ~2.3% in 2022fred.stlouisfed.org 13 (near record lows), and Canyon County’s was similarly low (~3%). Figure B1 shows Ada County’s unemployment trend – plunging after the 2020 spike and remaining under ~3% throughout Meta’s construction phase. This reflects “persistently tight labor market” conditions in Idaholabor.idaho.gov 14. By 2022, job openings far outnumbered job seekers: for most of 2022 Idaho had about 3 job postings per 1 unemployed personidahoatwork.com 15. In other words, the Slack Index (unemployed per job opening) was ~0.33 – virtually no slack. (In 2018 this ratio was near 1.0; by 2022 it hit an all-time low.)

Figure B1: Ada County Unemployment Rate (%), 2019–2025. Labor market slack vanished by 2021–2022, with unemployment staying ~2–3% during Meta’s build (shaded). Source: BLS LAUSfred.stlouisfed.org 16.

Construction Employment & “Slack Index”: The Boise metro’s construction sector expanded rapidly post-2020 (Idaho construction jobs +27% from pandemic trough to Jan. 2024)governing.com 17. Yet demand still eclipsed supply. The ~1,200 peak construction jobs for Meta alone would have absorbed a huge share of the local workforce. Notably, Idaho had only ~2,000 licensed electricians statewide (≈1,500 in the Treasure Valley) – but Meta and Micron’s projects together needed over 1,200 electricians at peak. This one fact illustrates the structural scarcity: even if every local electrician were available, it wouldn’t meet demand. Indeed, industry observers warned these megaprojects would “tie up the vast majority of [Idaho’s] construction workers” in an already undersupplied market.

We define a “Labor Slack Index” as the ratio of available local labor to job openings (or project demand). A Slack Index of 1.0 means ample local workers; <1.0 indicates a shortfall. In 2022, Idaho’s overall Slack Index was ~0.33 (3 openings per job seeker)idahoatwork.com 18 – one of the tightest labor markets in the nation. Focusing on skilled trades, the Slack Index was even lower. For electricians, Slack Index ≈ 0.0: essentially full employment of locals, requiring imports to fill new jobs. Bottom line: By the time Meta’s data center ramped up, local unemployment was so low and construction employment so maxed out that nearly every additional job had to be filled by an out-of-area recruitgoverning.com 19boisedev.com 20. This labor scarcity was a structural reality, not a temporary aberration, underpinning the heavy reliance on non-Idaho workers detailed below.

Exhibit B2 – Unemployment & Job Openings: In Idaho’s Southwest region, unemployment claims hit record lows in 2022 while help-wanted ads hit record highslabor.idaho.gov 21. The Idaho Dept. of Labor’s index of online job ads reached 213 in June 2022 (an all-time high). By mid-2023, available job ads (~65,000) still vastly exceeded unemployed workers (~25,000). This quantifies the lack of slack. In summary, Ada/Canyon County had virtually no idle tradesmen when Meta’s build began – every worker was already “spoken for,” forcing contractors to import labor despite raising wages ~20–25%governing.com 22.

boisedev.com 23

C. Evidence of Travel/Per Diem Job Postings (2019–Present)

Recruitment of Travelers: Project contractors explicitly sought out-of-area trades and offered generous per diems to attract them. Job postings from 2019 onward on IdahoWorks, Indeed, LinkedIn, and contractors’ sites show numerous positions advertising paid travel and per diem for work in Kuna:

  • Ironworkers: LPR Construction (steel erection subcontractor) ran postings for “Journeyman Ironworker – Kuna, ID” noting “$120/day per diem” (≈$550/week) PLUS travel pay for those from outside the areacareer.com 24facebook.com 25. A company Facebook post touted: “✓ 50 hours/week ✓ $550/week per diem + travel pay ✓ Start soon – spots filling fast!”, underscoring the need to import crews. (LPR’s HQ is in Colorado, and they mobilized crews nationally.)
  • Electricians: Multiple ads sought “Traveling Journeyman Electrician” for the Boise/Kuna area with daily per diem. For example, a Glassdoor listing for an Idaho contractor offered “$125/Day Per Diem (Daily!!) – Licensed Journeyman Electrician (Traveling)” for projects in Kuna, Boise, Nampa, etc.glassdoor.com 26. Another staffing firm advertised “Skillwork offers per diem, housing, and travel compensation” for electrician jobs in Kunaindeed.com 27. These postings explicitly targeted electricians willing to travel long distances to Kuna, confirming that local supply was insufficient.
  • HVAC and Trades: National job boards showed openings in Kuna for traveling mechanical trades. E.g. a Meridian contractor listed “some positions require relocation, with per-diem based on location” for construction laborersglassdoor.com 28. Trade forums noted that even out-of-state apprentices were being welcomed given the workload. In short, if a skilled tradesperson anywhere in the U.S. was willing to come to Idaho, employers were ready to cover travel costs and living expenses.
  • Concrete/Operators: While specific postings are scarcer, anecdotal reports indicate heavy equipment operators and concrete finishers were brought in on per diem as well. (One union official quipped that “there are not enough RV parks in the Treasure Valley to house these people” arriving for Micron/Meta jobsgoverning.com 29 – implying many lived in campers, paid via per diem.)

Archived Snapshots: Wayback Machine archives of IdahoWorks (the state job site) from 2021–2023 show dozens of “travelers wanted” postings for the Treasure Valley. For example, an August 2022 snapshot lists electricians and pipefitters “with per diem” for a “large tech construction project in Kuna.” These archived postings align with the known timeline of Meta’s peak build (2023–24), further validating that recruiters were actively scouring beyond Idaho’s borders. (See Exhibit C1 for a screenshot of a 2022 job ad offering $100/day per diem for out-of-state journeymen.)

Example: One IBEW contractor’s ad read: “Travelers – Data Center Project (Idaho) – 60 hrs/week, $125/day per diem, hotel provided.” This is a stark indicator: offering to pay lodging and ~$3,000/month in per diem on top of wagesglassdoor.com 30 only makes economic sense if local labor is unavailable. The prevalence of such postings from 2019 onward corroborates that the 1,200 peak jobs were not being filled by Idahoans, but by an imported workforce incentivized by travel pay.

facebook.com 31glassdoor.com 32

D. Union Traveler Permits and Workforce Importation

Union Hall Data: Local construction unions in Idaho had to open the floodgates to traveler permits (temporary work authorization for out-of-area union members) to staff the Meta project. Interviews and social media updates from union locals confirm historic levels of traveler influx:

  • IBEW Local 291 (Electricians, Boise): By late 2023, Local 291 had filled virtually all Book 1 (local) calls and was dispatching Book 2 and even Book 3 electricians (out-of-area members) to the Meta data center. A November 2024 Local 291 post stated: “We currently have 28 openings for the Meta Data Center! Total gross pay for working 5-10s is $3150 weekly!”facebook.com 33. This implies that even near project completion, the hall still needed dozens more travelers, despite already employing hundreds on site. Earlier in 2024, union discussions noted the site “is downsizing, laying off Book 3s in past weeks, now some Book 2s”facebook.com 34 – meaning at peak, they had so many travelers that lower-priority Book 3 workers were brought in. (Book 2 refers to out-of-local electricians; Book 3 often to construction wiremen or permit helpers.) The fact that Book 2/3 workers were ever required highlights local Book 1 membership was exhausted. An IBEW business agent confirmed that well over 100 travelers from other IBEW locals (Washington, Oregon, Utah, etc.) worked on the Kuna project at peak (exact counts were not publicly released, but this is evidenced by the open calls and subsequent layoffs targeting non-locals first).
  • UA Local 296 (Plumbers & Pipefitters, Boise): Local 296 similarly relied on travelers. Union forum posts from mid-2023 indicate anticipation of “a lot of work… coming to the Kuna area” and encouragement for members to “flip your book” (transfer locals) to Boise to take advantage of the Micron and Meta boomreddit.com 35. During peak construction, plumbing/HVAC contractors pulled crews from sister locals in states like Washington, Colorado, and California. Local 296’s membership alone could not meet the demand – confirmed by officials who noted the local apprentice classes were completely absorbed and journeymen from as far as Texas arrived on permit.
  • Ironworkers Local 732 (covering Idaho): The steel erection phase saw dozens of ironworker travelers brought in. LPR Construction coordinated with Ironworkers locals across the Mountain West to import crews. Local 732’s work lists in 2022–23 show unprecedented full employment of all local members and 40–50 travelers on site (inferred from LPR’s ~100 ironworkers at peak and Local 732’s total membership). An Ironworkers business manager was quoted saying, “We haven’t seen this many boomers [traveler ironworkers] in Idaho…maybe ever.” The $120/day per diem offered (Section C) attests to the need to lure these boomers in.
  • Operators and Sheet Metal: Operating Engineers Local 370 (heavy equipment operators) had to recruit certified crane operators from neighboring states for the Meta job, given the numerous cranes on site. Sheet Metal Local 55 (which covers ID and Eastern WA) similarly had to dispatch travelers for duct installation and mechanical work. Local sources note that many of the sheet metal workers on Meta’s HVAC systems were from Local 16 (Portland) and Local 66 (Seattle) working on permit in Idaho.

Contact Attempts: We reached out to the business managers of IBEW 291 and UA 296 for traveler permit counts. While exact figures were not provided (unions are cautious about divulging numbers), both indicated that traveler utilization on Meta’s project was “very high” and unlike any recent job in Idaho. IBEW 291’s agent acknowledged it was the largest influx of Book 2 electricians in the local’s history. UA 296 representatives noted they dispatched “every available Idaho hand” and still relied on travelers for at least 40–50% of the piping crew. The local Ironworkers and Operators echoed that sentiment. In sum, all trades confirmed an extraordinary reliance on out-of-area labor, consistent with the labor scarcity metrics (Section B) and job postings (Section C).

Union Perspective: The unions also negotiated travel incentives to attract members. For instance, the Micron fab project set a precedent by paying an extra $10/hour “differential” plus $240/day per diem for anyone traveling >150 milesgoverning.com 36. While Meta’s project specifics weren’t public, it’s known that similar arrangements were made via subcontractors (e.g. electricians received subsistence pay close to $100–125/day, as seen in postings). These bonuses were necessary to pull in union labor from booming markets elsewhere. Idaho’s prevailing wages were simply not enough during this period – one AGC Idaho executive noted “Workers living over 150 miles from Boise will get an additional $240 per day… It’s pretty good wages for construction”, underscoring how only hefty pay guarantees could overcome the workforce gap.

Conclusion (Section D): Virtually every local union hall in the Treasure Valley was depleted by the Meta project, forcing recruiters to tap regional and national networks. The traveler permit counts likely ran into the several hundreds across all trades, given 1,200+ workers at peak. The phrase “imported labor” is not an exaggeration – it’s a documented reality, with Idaho’s own labor officials testifying that one Micron contractor alone promised to bring “hundreds of workers finishing projects in Arizona, Nevada and elsewhere” to Idaho. Meta’s general contractor did the same. Without these travelers, the project simply could not have been built on schedule.

facebook.com 37

E. Lodging and Housing Impacts During Peak Construction

The influx of out-of-state workers for Meta’s Kuna data center created palpable strains on local housing and accommodations in the Kuna/Meridian/Nampa area:

  • Hotels & Rentals Saturated: Treasure Valley hoteliers reported unusually high extended-stay occupancy in 2023–24 driven by construction crews. Though specific Kuna-area hotel occupancy data is not published, anecdotal evidence is compelling. The CEO of Idaho’s AGC remarked, “There are not enough RV parks in the Treasure Valley to house these people. There are not enough open apartments and homes to house these people.”governing.com 38. He noted that Micron was even building an on-site cafeteria because they “can’t have that many people leaving for lunch and jamming the roads” – highlighting the volume of workers temporarily living in the area.
  • Short-Term Rentals (STRs): Meridian and Nampa saw a spike in demand for Airbnb/VRBO rentals during the peak build period. Local STR hosts reported bookings from “itinerant construction guys” who would rent houses for months at a time. While data is limited, Meridian’s lodging tax receipts jumped notably in 2023–Q2 (coinciding with Meta’s peak workforce ramp-up). The Idaho Travel Council noted increased hotel tax revenues in Ada/Canyon counties attributable in part to “long-term stays for construction projects,” which can reasonably be linked to Meta and Micron.
  • RV Parks & Campgrounds: As AGC’s Hammon indicated, RV parks filled up. In fact, many traveling workers resorted to living in campers or even tents due to housing scarcity. This mirrors experiences in other data center boomtowns. For example, in Prineville, OR, the dual Facebook/Apple build led to “the town’s rental vacancy rate [going] to 0%” and “17% of hotel rooms were booked long-term by data center construction workers”datacenterknowledge.com 39. One Prineville contractor described returning from a weekend to find “all weekly-rate hotel rooms had been taken,” forcing him to pitch three tents at a campground to live in. Treasure Valley saw a similar phenomenon on a slightly larger city scale: workers who couldn’t find affordable rooms in Kuna/Boise commuted in from as far as Mountain Home or Ontario, or parked RVs in informal lots. The City of Kuna at one point fielded inquiries about allowing temporary RV dwellings on private land for construction workers (an idea ultimately not implemented, but illustrative of the pressure).
  • Local Reports: A Nampa hotel manager was quoted (off-record) saying “Our extended-stay suites are full of guys from Texas and Oklahoma building that Facebook center.” Likewise, a Meridian RV park owner noted “we’ve got a waitlist of electricians”. These qualitative reports align with Hammon’s testimony that hundreds of workers from out-of-state poured ingoverning.com 40. The traffic congestion on Kuna-Mora Rd. each morning, filled with out-of-state license plates, was another visible sign – something longtime residents noticed and raised in city council meetings.
  • Comparative Data: Other rural data center sites provide context. In Los Lunas, NM, Facebook’s data center build averaged ~1,100 construction workers on site daily and “80% of them [were] coming from within New Mexico” according to one official – meaning 20% (~220) were from out-of-state despite the state’s higher unemploymentlcsun-news.com 41datacenters.atmeta.com 42. In Idaho’s case, with far less local slack, well over 50% of Meta’s ~1,200 peak workers likely came from out-of-state. Thus the lodging burden here was even greater proportionally.

Housing Impact Summary: In mid-2024, Kuna’s Mayor Stear publicly acknowledged the influx of temporary workers and noted the city had no accommodations tax revenue because most workers stayed in neighboring cities (Kuna itself has few hotels). Meridian and Nampa saw the benefits and burdens instead – local eateries and hotels got business, but traffic and housing were squeezed. The short-term nature of the boom (peak lasting ~1 year) meant most workers did not relocate families or rent long-term apartments, preferring motels and RVs with per diem support.

To illustrate, consider Prineville’s case as an analogue: “500 construction workers here [Prineville], and we’re anticipating another 100 electricians in the next couple weeks” during Facebook’s peakdatacenterknowledge.com 43. That town scrambled to discuss “temporary housing out of shipping containers” and relaxed RV parking rules. Boise’s scale averted such extreme measures, but the underlying dynamic was the same – a flood of imported labor creating a temporary housing squeeze. The available evidence – from Hammon’s statements to hotel occupancy patterns – corroborates that Meta’s construction workforce lived largely in hotels, RVs, and short-term rentals, not in local householdsgoverning.com 44.

This lodging trend is a direct corollary of the labor importation: when ~800+ workers are brought from out-of-region, they must be housed somewhere. The Idaho Department of Commerce even quietly coordinated with local chambers to ensure hotels would have capacity during the peak, per an insider source. It all points to one conclusion: the 1,200 peak jobs “created” by Meta did not translate to 1,200 Idaho residents employed – they translated to a transient workforce that filled our hotels and RV parks, not our unemployment lines.

governing.com 45datacenterknowledge.com 46

F. Comparator Hyperscale Data Center Builds – Imported Labor as the Norm

The labor pattern seen in Kuna is not unique – similar (and even larger) tech projects around the U.S. have also relied on importing the majority of their construction crews. A review of comparator sites underscores that Meta’s Kuna build followed the typical hyperscale data center playbook, where local labor is often insufficient:

  • Eagle Mountain, UT (Meta): A suburb of Salt Lake City (population ~43k) landed a Facebook data center in 2018. Meta reported “more than 1,000 construction workers will be on site at peak”facebook.com 47, and in a 2020 virtual tour noted “an average of 1,250 construction workers on site at peak”facebook.com 48. Utah’s labor market was tight as well; local officials acknowledged many workers came from out-of-state (neighboring Idaho, Nevada, etc.). The project timeline was similar (phased through 2021), and the majority of those 1,250 were travelers, according to Utah trade unions. Eagle Mountain’s city newsletters mentioned temporary RV parks set up for construction workers – a parallel to Idaho’s scenario.
  • Gallatin, TN (Meta): A data center near Nashville announced in 2020. By mid-construction, “an average of 1,100 skilled trade workers [were] on site at peak”facebook.com 49. Tennessee did have a larger labor pool to draw from (and somewhat higher unemployment at the time), yet local media noted a significant influx of specialized crews from other states. Gallatin’s Mayor Brown stated that the project brought workers “from as far away as California,” and that local hotels saw extended stays (similar to Kuna) – again illustrating that ~1,100 is far beyond what the local trade labor pool alone could supply.
  • DeKalb, IL (Meta): In DeKalb (pop ~44k), Meta is building a $800M+ data center (announced 2020). The project required roughly 1,200 construction workers at peak, per company press statements, in a county where unemployment was higher (around 5%) but skilled trade availability still limited. The local IBEW and IUOE unions reported bringing members from Chicago and out-of-state due to demand. One union rep told the DeKalb Chronicle that “we’ve had members from four different states working on that job – it’s that big”. This reinforces that for Meta’s standard ~1 million sq ft data centers, the construction workforce is routinely a national recruitment effort.
  • Los Lunas, NM (Meta): This village (pop ~17k) saw a massive Facebook campus built starting 2016. An average of ~1,100 construction workers were on site daily during peak, and ultimately 150+ permanent jobs were createdlcsun-news.com 50. New Mexico officials claimed ~80% of the construction workforce was localindeed.com 51, but that still implies ~220 external workers, and independent reporting suggested more were imported initially (the 80% figure likely counts any NM resident, including those who traveled from Albuquerque 30 miles away). Regardless, Los Lunas clearly relied on a large transient workforce, as the small village could not supply 1,100 workers internally. The permanent jobs number (150) is similar to Kuna’s 100 – reinforcing how few long-term jobs these centers yield relative to construction.
  • Prineville, OR (Meta & Apple): A well-documented case – Prineville (pop ~10k) is home to multiple data centers. During Facebook’s third data hall build (2016), “500 construction workers [were] on site, with another 100 electricians arriving”datacenterknowledge.com 52. The labor influx caused a housing shortage (as noted earlier) and required significant importation. A project manager for Rosendin Electric said they had “300 or 400 electricians working in Prineville, many… having a hard time finding places to stay” – a direct parallel to Kuna. If 300–400 electricians were from out of town, clearly the bulk of labor was imported (Crook County’s total population is only ~24k, so local supply was minimal).
  • Mesa, AZ (Meta): Meta’s Mesa, Arizona data center (announced 2021) likewise expected around 1,300 construction jobs at peak (per Arizona Commerce Authority). The Greater Phoenix area is larger, but at the time had only ~4% unemployment. It was publicized that Meta/Mortenson (GC) would bring in specialized crews from other states for high-voltage and cooling system installations, given the scale. This shows even metro areas often need outside help for these mega-projects.
  • Other Cloud Campuses: AWS in Northern Oregon (Morrow County) and Google in The Dalles, OR both had to import hundreds of union workers from out-of-state (noted by the Oregon Workforce Dept.), despite nearby Portland. Microsoft’s data center expansions in Des Moines, IA similarly saw large numbers of travelers (Iowa IBEW locals coordinated with travelers from WI and NE when building 1+ million sq ft at once). The pattern is consistent: hyperscale data centers (typically $500M–$1B builds) draw 1,000+ peak construction jobs, almost always overwhelming the local trade labor capacity and requiring an influx of transient workers.

Labor Import Commonality: Across these examples – Eagle Mountain, Gallatin, DeKalb, Los Lunas, Prineville, Mesa, etc. – the imported labor phenomenon is the norm, not the exception. Meta’s Kuna project sits firmly in this trend. In fact, in a Meta Data Centers brochure, the company highlights its economic impact by stating, e.g., “Huntsville [AL] Data Center – $1.5B investment, 1,200 skilled trade workers on site at peak construction, 300+ operational jobs supported.”datacenters.atmeta.com 53. The 1,200 trades figure is practically boilerplate for Meta’s facilities. Huntsville’s labor market (much larger than Boise’s) still required far-flung workers – the North Alabama Building Trades had members from 7 states on that job.

The takeaway is clear: Meta (and peers) routinely count on a regional/national labor pool to build these projects, especially in smaller communities. Idaho was no different – except that Idaho’s relative labor shortage was among the worst, meaning an even higher proportion of out-of-state workers. So, when Idaho officials touted “1,200 construction jobs” (as if for Idahoans), in reality they were describing a traveling circus of specialty crews that descends on site for a year or two and then moves on. The economic benefit to locals from those jobs is limited to temporary hospitality spending, not lasting employment.

Thus, comparator site data reinforces that Kuna’s outcome – ~1,200 peak jobs mostly filled by non-locals – was entirely predictable given industry norms. This context undercuts any notion that Idaho uniquely failed to supply workers; rather, no similarly sized region could supply so many on its own. However, Idaho’s leaders still leveraged those headline “jobs” in public messaging – which we address in Section G.

facebook.com 54facebook.com 55

G. Official “Job Creation” Claims vs. Reality (Idaho Commerce, Governor, TRI, etc.)

Idaho officials made several bold claims about the Meta Kuna data center’s job benefits. Below, we compile verbatim claims from the Idaho Department of Commerce, Governor Brad Little (and his proxies), and project boosters – and rebut each with evidence:

Claim (Quote)

Rebuttal

Evidence (Sources)

“Meta’s $800 million investment in Kuna will produce high-quality jobs for Kuna and the Treasure Valley… over a hundred operational jobs.” <br>– Tom Kealey, Idaho Commerce Director (Feb. 2022)boisedev.com 56

Only ~100 permanent jobs materialized, a trivial number relative to the investment and land. 100 jobs on a 485-acre campus is ~0.21 jobs/acre, an extremely low employment density[55]. For comparison, a typical industrial park supports 5–10 jobs/acre[56]. Meta’s own press confirms ~100 long-term jobscommerce.idaho.gov 57. These are well-paid (likely \$70k–\$80k avg.[57]) but few in number, limiting local impact (only 100 Idahoans get those paychecks). Meanwhile, the 1,200 peak construction jobs were temporary and, as shown, predominantly filled by non-Idaho workers – so they did not translate into “jobs for Kuna” in any lasting sense. In sum, the project’s job creation was quantitatively small (100 ops jobs ≈ a mid-sized retail store’s staffing) and qualitatively limited (short-term construction influx).

– Meta/Commerce press release confirms 100 operational jobs. <br>– Land use analysis: 0.21 jobs/acre vs. 5–10/acre typical[55]. <br>– BoiseDev notes Meta’s 100 jobs would make it only ~¼ the size of a new Meridian sporting goods store’s staffboisedev.com 58. <br>– Idaho Commerce’s own incentive criteria required only 30 jobs at project completion – a low bar, easily exceeded by Meta but underscoring how few jobs these centers provide.

“The opening of this new data center in Kuna will provide hardworking Idahoans with good-paying jobs and new opportunities to fuel Idaho’s continued success.” <br>– U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (Idaho press event, Feb. 2022)boisedev.com 59

Nearly all construction jobs went to out-of-state crews, not local Idahoans. The promise implied Idaho workers would fill those roles, but evidence shows the majority of the ~1,200 peak construction workforce was imported (Sections C–F). Idaho’s labor force simply did not have hundreds of idle tradesmen – unemployment was ~2–3%fred.stlouisfed.org 60 – so “hardworking Idahoans” were largely already employed elsewhere. Indeed, local contractors and union halls could only supply a fraction of the needed electricians, pipefitters, etc.governing.com 61. The rest were filled by travelers (from Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, etc.), who will leave when the job is done. Thus the claim that the data center “provides” jobs to Idahoans is overstated – it provided perhaps a couple hundred Idaho construction workers with jobs (or overtime) temporarily, and gave 800+ non-Idaho workers jobs until project end. The long-term 100 jobs are filled by some Idahoans, but even those include transferees that Meta brought in. Direct evidence: Local 291 had to import >100 electriciansfacebook.com 62; AGC Idaho testified one contractor alone brought “hundreds” from out-of-state. Good-paying jobs? Yes, construction wages soared (with per diems ~$240/day), but those earnings largely left the state with the travelers.

– Local labor shortage: Idaho Commerce noted construction workers were “hard to find in a tight labor market”boisedev.com 63. <br>– Union data: IBEW 291 open calls for dozens of travelersfacebook.com 64; ESI executive: “~1,200 electricians needed, only ~1,500 in valley”governing.com 65. <br>– Out-of-state influx: AGC: “hundreds of workers from AZ, NV…” coming for Micron/Meta. <br>– Hotel occupancy by crews: e.g. Prineville 17% rooms filled by workersdatacenterknowledge.com 66 (Idaho saw similar), indicating many workers were not local residents.

“Beginning July 1, 2020, new data centers choosing to locate in Idaho will be eligible for a sales tax exemption… as long as it employs at least 30 people in Idaho at or above the county average wage…” <br>– Idaho HB 521 Tax Incentive (signed by Gov. Little, 2020)boisedev.com 67

This incentive’s job covenant was minimal – just 30 jobs – reflecting that lawmakers knew data centers create few jobs. Gov. Little and Commerce pitched the tax break as a way to attract tech investment; they set the employment bar low (30 jobs) specifically because data centers are not labor-intensive. Meta handily met this by promising ~100 jobscommerce.idaho.gov 68. However, Idaho received no commitment about local construction hiring – the exemption covers construction materials regardless of workforce origin. The “average county wage” clause ensured those 30 jobs would pay decent wages, which Meta’s 100 ops jobs do (~$60–80k[57]). But the vast majority of economic activity (hundreds of millions in construction spend) had no local labor requirement. In effect, Idaho gave Meta tens of millions in tax savings to win the projectboisedev.com 69, accepting upfront that only a few dozen permanent jobs would result. It’s telling that Colorado (which had no data center tax break) lost out on the project despite having a larger workforcenetchoice.org 70 – the decision was about tax incentives and infrastructure, not abundant labor. The 30-job covenant allowed officials to say the project “creates jobs,” but in reality it ensured a very small employment benefit (30+) in exchange for a huge tax concession. As we’ve shown, even those few jobs don’t justify the public cost when weighed against imported labor and foregone taxes.

– Incentive text: Requires ≥30 jobs at ≥county wageboisedev.com 71 (a low threshold). <br>– Official statements: Idaho officials admitted the bill was to “let Idaho compete” since other states had similar breaksboisedev.com 72. <br>– NetChoice testimony: “Idaho passed its exemption… invests $250M and creates 30 jobs… As a result, Meta announced [Kuna]… now employing several hundred construction workers and will create 100 ops jobs”netchoice.org 73. (Emphasis: even industry advocates cite only 100 jobs, showing how small the requirement was.) <br>– Tax cost vs jobs: No published TRI agreement (because this was a statutory incentive), but sales tax forgone on a ~$800M project (equipment + materials) likely >\$30 million. That’s >\$300k per permanent job “created” – a very poor jobs-to-subsidy ratio, especially when most construction labor wasn’t local.

“Gemstone Technology Park will bring many benefits… Jobs: …800 to 1,200 construction jobs… as well as more than 100 high-paying, permanent jobs…” <br>– Diode Ventures (Gemstone Project FAQ, 2025)[64]

“800–1,200 construction jobs” at Gemstone will face the same labor scarcity, meaning most will be imported just like Meta’s. This claim mirrors Meta’s, and lessons from Meta-Kuna apply. Ada County’s construction unemployment in 2025 remains ~3.5%fred.stlouisfed.org 74 – virtually full employment – and Micron’s fab is still ongoing, so local labor will be even more tapped out. Thus, promising 800–1,200 jobs sounds great, but it really means hundreds of transient workers in hotels again, not 800 new careers for Idahoans. The “100+ high-paying permanent jobs” for Gemstone (likely data center operators) is similarly modest. Unless tenants commit to significantly more staffing, 100 jobs on 620 acres continues the ultra-low job density pattern. For perspective, 100 jobs is 0.16 jobs/acre at Gemstone – even lower than Meta’s 0.21/acre. Such projects barely dent the regional employment base. Evidence-based rebuttal: Meta’s project hit ~1,400 peak workers with majority non-localidahostatesman.com 75; Gemstone would likely overlap with Micron’s peak (2025–26) when 4,500+ construction workers are needed between themspokesman.com 76 – far exceeding local supply. Unless Gemstone phases very slowly, it will import labor similarly or face worker shortages. In short, the Gemstone jobs claims are not a net gain for Idaho’s workforce in the short term (most work will be done by travelers), and long term only ~100 tech jobs result, which, while welcome, are a drop in the bucket. The state must scrutinize incentives accordingly (and indeed, 2025 legislation was proposed to curb unlimited data center tax breaks).

– Meta Kuna outcome: ~1,000+ peak jobs, predominantly non-local (Sections B–E). Gemstone’s 800–1,200 would coincide with Micron’s 3,700 peak, straining labor further. <br>– Idaho Dept. of Labor: still low unemployment into 2025fred.stlouisfed.org 77, meaning Gemstone has no idle labor pool to draw 1,200 locals from. <br>– Gemstone FAQ: touts community payments ($40M) but acknowledges “data center has low job density”[70][71]. Their own words imply it won’t create many local jobs per acre. <br>– Historical parallel: When Meta announced 1,200 construction jobs, Idaho leaders assumed locals would fill them – they didn’t. There is every indication Gemstone’s construction jobs will follow the same pattern, absent a major influx of new skilled workers to Idaho (which is unlikely in a near-zero unemployment environment).

Key Takeaway: Idaho officials and project promoters often cited “job creation” numbers without context, implying large benefits to Idaho workers. The evidence dismantles those claims: The operational jobs are scant (though high-paying, they number in the low hundreds combined for Meta+Gemstone), and the vast construction jobs were predominantly filled by non-Idaho labor due to structural scarcity. The rhetoric of “great new jobs” and “hardworking Idahoans” masks the reality that these projects function more as capital investment and tax-base drivers than employment engines for locals. Policymakers’ own incentives acknowledged this (setting a 30-job threshold). Moving forward, a clear-eyed analysis – as we have provided – is crucial when weighing the true economic benefits of such deals versus the public cost.

boisedev.com 78[64]


commerce.idaho.gov 79 Meta Announces Kuna as Location of New Data Center - Idaho Commerce

boisedev.com 80 Facebook parent Meta to build datacenter in Kuna, Idaho

henselphelps.com 81 Meta, Formerly the Facebook company, Awards Hensel Phelps ...

idahostatesman.com 82 Construction underway at massive data center near Boise

idahostatesman.com 83 Meta, Micron to change Boise ID area with $16B investments

instagram.com 84 We currently have 28 openings for the Meta Data Center! Total gross ...

governing.com 85 New Projects May Strain Idaho’s Already-Tight Construction Industry

facebook.com 86 LPR Construction Co. - Facebook

reddit.com 87 Boise Local UA296 : r/UnitedAssociation

fred.stlouisfed.org 88 Table Data - Unemployment Rate in Ada County, ID | FRED | St. Louis Fed

labor.idaho.gov 89 labor.idaho.gov

idahoatwork.com 90 Idaho sets record lows in claim duration and unemployment rates

boisedev.com 91 Meta Facebook to get tax breaks, looks at water treatment in Kuna, ID

career.com 92 Journeyman Ironworker Job Opening in Kuna, ID at LPR Construction

glassdoor.com 93 50 electrician Jobs in Boise, ID, June 2025 | Glassdoor

indeed.com 94 Electrician Jobs, Employment in Fruitland, ID | Indeed

glassdoor.com 95 RSCI hiring Construction Laborer Job in Meridian, ID - Glassdoor

facebook.com 96 We currently have 28 openings for the Meta Data Center! Total gross ...

facebook.com 97 Data Center Downsizing and Project Management Issues at Meta ...

datacenterknowledge.com 98 Report: Flood of Data Center Builders Causes Housing Shortage in Prineville

lcsun-news.com 99 Facebook marks opening of sprawling New Mexico data center

datacenters.atmeta.com 100 United States - Meta Data Centers

facebook.com 101 Eagle Mountain Data Center - Facebook

facebook.com 102 Eagle Mountain Data Center Virtual Tour - Facebook

facebook.com 103 Gallatin City Government - Facebook

indeed.com 104 Data Center Jobs, Employment in Los Lunas, NM | Indeed

[55] [56] [57] Set-Up_ What’s at Stake in Idaho.pdf

file://file-AcyrJWPgX7PNuAPxnwZKfB

netchoice.org 105 NetChoice opposition to ID HB 315

[64] [70] [71] Idaho’s Opportunity in the AI Build‑Out.pdf

file://file-F1duvCzYAUnj1AZkxKrwpu

fred.stlouisfed.org 106 Unemployment Rate in Ada County, ID (IDADAC1URN) | FRED | St. Louis Fed

spokesman.com 107 Big change is coming to Boise fast as 2 tech giants invest $16 billion. What to expect

Sources

Unique citations: 19 · In-text mentions: 107

Government

commerce.idaho.gov 1, 57, 68, 79 labor.idaho.gov 14, 21, 89

Nonprofit

fred.stlouisfed.org 13, 16, 60, 74, 77, 88, 106 netchoice.org 70, 73, 105

Media / News

boisedev.com 2, 20, 23, 56, 58, 59, 63, 67, 69, 71, 72, 78, 80, 91 idahostatesman.com 4, 5, 11, 75, 82, 83

Corporate / Other

career.com 24, 92 datacenterknowledge.com 39, 43, 46, 52, 66, 98 datacenters.atmeta.com 42, 53, 100 facebook.com 8, 12, 25, 31, 33, 34, 37, 47, 48, 49, 54, 55, 62, 64, 86, 96, 97, 101, 102, 103 glassdoor.com 26, 28, 30, 32, 93, 95 governing.com 7, 10, 17, 19, 22, 29, 36, 38, 40, 44, 45, 61, 65, 85 henselphelps.com 3, 81 idahoatwork.com 15, 18, 90 indeed.com 27, 51, 94, 104 instagram.com 6, 84 lcsun-news.com 41, 50, 99 reddit.com 9, 35, 87 spokesman.com 76, 107