While the nation’s unemployment rate inched up by one-tenth of a percentage point in March, Utah’s rate dropped by the same amount.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) reported the state’s unemployment rate last month at 3.1 percent, down from February’s 3.2 percent and leaving an estimated 57,570 Utahns out of the workforce. Meanwhile, the U.S. rate rose a bit to 4.2 percent.
Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for March climbed an estimated 1.7 percent over the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 29,500 jobs since March 2024. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,765,100.
“Job growth has kept pace with population and labor force expansions over the last 12 months, keeping the unemployment rate low,” said Ben Crabb, chief economist with DWS. “Broad growth across sectors reflects continued strong demand for workers.”
Utah’s March private-sector employment recorded a year-over-year gain of 1.3 percent — a 19,700-job increase. 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 11,700 jobs), construction (up 6,500 jobs) and manufacturing (up 2,700 jobs). Leisure and hospitality (down 3,600 jobs); trade, transportation and utilities (down 3,000 jobs); and other services (down 100 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.