Unemployment goes down to 2.5% in Utah

If you want a job in Utah, you should be able to find one because the state’s employers just keep putting people to work. Utah’s unemployment rate dropped another two-tenths of a percent last month, according to numbers released by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS). The current rate is 2.5 percent, meaning about 41,000 people are still looking for jobs.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

Meanwhile, the national jobless rate rose one-tenth of a point to 3.6 percent.

Over the past year, Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment has grown by 3.3 percent, adding 51,200 jobs to the economy since October 2018. Utah’s current employment level sits at 1,593,200.

“October is the springboard month for the upcoming holiday shopping season,” said Mark Knold, chief economist at the DWS. “October’s profile helps gauge the consumer’s stance entering this important economic period. Utah’s current strong numbers point to an anticipated collectively healthy and positive attitude.”

Utah’s private-sector employment grew by 3.7 percent year-over-year with the addition of 47,400 positions. Once again, all 10 of the private-sector major industry groups measured in the establishment survey posted net job increases in October. The largest private-sector employment increases were in professional and business services (11,000 jobs), education and health services (9,600 jobs) and construction (6,900 jobs). The fastest employment growth occurred in construction (6.4 percent), information (5.1 percent) and professional and business services (5.1 percent).{/mprestriction}