The Utah and national unemployment rates held steady in April, although Utah experienced job growth of an estimated 2.1 percent during the past 12 months.
Figures released by the Utah Department of Workforce Services show Utah added 36,000 jobs in nonfarm jobs since April 2025, leaving the state with 1,778,100 employed people.
Meanwhile, Utah’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April remained at 3.1 percent, the same as in March, leaving 57,520 Utahns without jobs. Nationally, the unemployment rate stayed at 4.2 percent, with job growth of 1.2 percent year over year and a tenth of a percentage point from March.
“In sum, this month’s employment and unemployment numbers show a state economy that continues to enjoy broad expansions across industries, with a low unemployment rate and strong demand for labor,” said Ben Crabb, chief economist with DWS. “Employers continue to post job openings and make hires as the state’s labor market enters the summer season.”
The level of job openings has been relatively stable for the past year, at around 85,000 to 90,000 openings every month, “showing a consistent demand for labor, with employers maintaining their hiring efforts,” he said. For every unemployed worker in Utah, there are about 1.5 job openings.
Crabb noted that Utah’s unemployment rate is “holding low and steady,” with claims for unemployment insurance within the typical historical range.
“The state did see a brief spike in initial unemployment claims from workers laid off from a federal employer in late February and early March,” he said. “However, that surge was short-lived, and both initial and continued unemployment insurance claims are now back within typical levels experienced over the last few years.”
Utah’s private sector experienced year-over-year growth of 1.8 percent, an increase of 26,500 jobs. Among seven private-sector industry groups with year-over-year job gains were education and health services, up 14,400 jobs, or 5.9 percent; construction, 7,200 jobs, or 5.3 percent; and manufacturing, 3,600 jobs. The construction figure included 6,200 new jobs among specialty trade contractors.
Experiencing year-over-year job losses were trade, transportation and utilities, down 2,300 jobs, or 0.7 percent; leisure and hospitality, down 400 jobs, or 0.2 percent; and other services, down 200 jobs.
The wholesale sector lost 400 jobs from March to April. “The number of Utahns employed in the wholesale trade industry now sits at about the same level it was in late 2023, at around 61,000 jobs,” Crabb said.
Additional analysis and tables are available at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/index.html.