Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY— The state Department of Workforce Services reported Friday that Utah’s non-farm payroll employment for July 2013 grew by an estimated 3.5 percent, adding 43,300 jobs to the economy compared to July 2012.
Utah’s current employment level registered at 1,280,000 people.
The July seasonally adjusted unemployment rate measured 4.6 percent, down 0.1 percent from June. Approximately 64,700 individuals were unemployed and actively seeking work, the report states. The national unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 percent for the month.
Utah’s rate of job growth sprung back to an above-average level after experiencing two straight months of below-average growth, according to DWS chief economist Carrie Mayne. Labor force measures also exhibited positive movement as the size of the labor force and number of employed individuals grew and the count of unemployed Utahns decreased from June levels, she said. Labor force participation also increased from last month and now registers at 67.9 percent, Mayne added.
All of the 11 private sector industries observed posted net job increases in July as compared to last year, she said, with the largest increases in trade, transportation and utilities which added 9,700 jobs; professional and business services added 9,000 jobs, with leisure and hospitality adding 7,100 jobs. Government employment overall contracted by 2,900 jobs during the same period.
