Utah’s jobless rate held steady in February at 3.8 percent, the same as level as January. The figure means about 69,800 Utahns remain outside the workforce.
Utah’s Department of Workforce Services (DWS) released its employment summary for February late in April — the delay being a residual effect of the federal government shutdown last year, according to Jared Mendenhall, communication director of the department. The department expects its reporting to be back on schedule this month with the April report to be released on May 22.
While Utah’s unemployment held steady in February, the nationwide rate rose slightly to 4.4 percent, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, D.C.
Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for February increased an estimated 0.7 percent over the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 11,600 jobs since February 2025. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,765,000.
“Despite the overall pace of hiring remaining slow, the labor market continues to show resilience, with sustained employment in key sectors driving consistent job gains,” said Ben Crabb, chief economist with the Department of Workforce Services. “Meanwhile, limited labor supply growth is helping to maintain an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent.”
Utah’s February private-sector employment recorded a year-over-year expansion of 0.8 percent with a 12,400-job increase. Six of the 10 major private-sector industry groups posted net year-over-year job gains. The overall gains were led by professional and business services (up 8,600 jobs), education and health services (up 5,100 jobs) and financial activities (up 2,200 jobs). Trade, transportation and utilities (down 2,200 jobs), information (down 1,500 jobs) and other services (down 800 jobs) experienced year-over-year job losses.
Additional information and analysis on Utah’s employment situation, including county-by-county statistics, are available at the DWS website, jobs.utah.gov.