UTAH'S JOBLESS RATE CLIMBS A LITTLE MORE IN JULY, NOW AT 3.2%

Utah’s jobless rate continues to inch upward. According to data released by the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS), the unemployment rate climbed to 3.2 percent in July from 3 percent in June and 2.9 percent in May. The figure means that about 57,000 Utahns are without work.

The national unemployment rate also climbed two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.3 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment in July was reported at an estimated 2.8 percent increase over the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 48,500 jobs since July 2023. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,754,600, DWS said.

“July’s employment numbers show a return to higher rates of year-over-year job growth in the state,” said Ben Crabb, chief economist with DWS. “After nearly a year of growth in the 2 percent range, the 2.8 percent in July is a marked increase in the rate of job expansion, helped along by improved private-sector hiring. The healthy jobs numbers are tempered by an increase in the unemployment rate, but this month’s 3.2 percent unemployment rate is still low by historical standards.”

Utah’s July private-sector employment recorded a year-over-year expansion of 2.6 percent, or a 37,700-job increase, DWS reported. Seven of the 10 major private-sector industry groups posted net year-over-year job gains. The overall gains are led by education and health services (up 13,200 jobs), construction (up 8,800 jobs) and professional and business services (up 5,900 jobs). Other services (down 500 jobs) was the only sector with year-over-year job losses.

Additional employment data tables and analysis, including county unemployment rates, can be accessed at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/index.html.