Job growth in Utah finished 2018 above 3 percent, according to figures released by the Utah Department of Workforce Services. The total number of Utahns holding jobs climbed to 1,542,600 at the end of the year, up 47,200 jobs since December 2017, a rise of 3.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in December remained unchanged at 3.2 percent. That means approximately 49,900 Utahns were unemployed during the month and actively seeking work. The national unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percentage point from November to December and sits at 3.9 percent.
“Our state ended the year on a positive economic note with job growth above 3 percent,” said Carrie Mayne, chief economist at the Department of Workforce Services. “2018 closes out as a year of low unemployment, with the average number of unemployed just over 49,000.”
Utah’s private-sector employment grew by 3.3 percent year-over-year with the addition of 41,500 positions. Nine of the 10 private-sector industry groups measured in the establishment survey posted net job increases in December, while natural resources and mining remained unchanged from the prior year. The largest private-sector employment increases were in trade, transportation and utilities (15,000 jobs); education and health services (5,900 jobs); and professional and business services (5,400 jobs). The fastest employment growth occurred in trade, transportation and utilities (5.2 percent); other services (4.3 percent); and manufacturing (3.4 percent).