Utah jobless rate lowest it's been in past 11 years

It’s been more than 11 years since Utah’s unemployment rate has been this low. April’s jobless rate of 2.9 percent is the lowest since December 2007, according to numbers released last week by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS).

“Utah’s combination of strong job growth and markedly low unemployment mirrors the robust economic climate last seen in 2007,” said Mark Knold, senior economist at DWS. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}“Given these conditions, this is the most favorable Utah job market in 12 years for college and high school graduates to be seeking employment.”

The national unemployment rate for April was 3.6 percent, according to statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the lowest unemployment rate since 1969.

In Utah, approximately 46,000 Utahns were unemployed and actively seeking work during April.

Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for April 2019 grew by an estimated 3.2 percent, adding 48,600 jobs to the economy since April 2018, DWS said. Utah’s current employment level sits at 1,555,400. 

Utah’s private-sector employment grew by 3.5 percent year-over-year with the addition of 43,800 positions. All 10 of the private-sector industry groups measured in the establishment survey posted net job increases in April. The largest private-sector employment increases were in leisure and hospitality (9,000 jobs); trade, transportation and utilities (7,900 jobs); and education and health services (6,900 jobs). The fastest employment growth occurred in information (6.2 percent), leisure and hospitality (6 percent) and manufacturing (4.6 percent).{/mprestriction}