Report: Utah experiences steady employment growth amid a national downturn
Utah's employment numbers continue to steadily grow despite national trend downward, according to the latest employment summary from the Department of Workforce Services.
In May, the Beehive State reported a 2.5% increase in employment over the year, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.2%, according to the report.
These numbers represented a net addition of 42,900 jobs since May 2024, accounting for both job gains and losses. Approximately 58,220 Utahns are unemployed, which is about 700 more than last month.
'While the unemployment rate saw a slight increase, the state's economy remains robust,' Ben Crabb, chief economist with the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said in the report.
Utah's private sector employment increased by 2.3% from the previous year, with notable job gains in education and health services, construction and manufacturing. However, trade, transportation and utilities, along with other services, saw job losses. Eight of ten industry groups experienced net job growth.
In comparison, the U.S. added 139,000 nonfarm jobs, just shy of two thousand from the most recent modest estimate for the current quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
While the federal government experienced ongoing job losses, the health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance sectors continued to show upward employment trends.
Down from the previous estimate of 145,000, and the previous 12 months average monthly gain of 149,000, the current job growth casts a dimmer outlook in the U.S. economy.
On the other hand, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2%, the U.S. Labor report stated. Although forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said it could raise to 4.5% in the first quarter of 2026.
Wednesday, the Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate unchanged, awaiting to see the impact that tariffs will have in the economy this year.
'Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity,' Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, per AP news. 'This is something we know is coming, we just don't know the size of it.'
Economic growth will slow down, according to these projections, which could translate into an increase in unemployment.
Even though inflation has remained steady, the Federal Reserve still expects to cut rates twice this year, per AP news, to counter the projected effects of the higher inflation in the upcoming months.
The state's labor market saw a 15% decrease in job openings over the year, according to Crabb.
Despite the cooling trend, Crabb said there still are 1.3 jobs for every unemployed worker in the state.
Crabb also noted there's a hesitance among workers to try switching jobs, which could be due to the time it takes to find suitable reemployment. With a median duration of 7.7 weeks currently, it takes job seekers about a week longer than the previous year.
But Crabb remains optimistic. 'Going into the summer, the state's economy is exhibiting health and expansion across industries,' he said in his analysis of May's employment report.
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