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Sam Penrod Reporting School is out and the summer job season is here for teenagers, and this year there are plenty of jobs to go around. You don't have to look very hard right now to find places that are looking for workers. The bigger story in this is that Utah's unemployment rate is the lowest it has been for several years.
Tyler Ferris, "There's a lot of now hiring signs, mostly fast food places that I've seen."
It seems everywhere you look right now, you see signs that say "Help Wanted" or "Now Hiring." Utah's un-employment rate has dropped from 4.9 percent a year ago, down to 3.5 percent now. The most visible jobs that are available are those that are considered to require fewer skills, which is perfect for high school students or new graduates.
Mark Knold, Senior Economist, Dept. Of Workforce Services: "This is probably one of the best years in six or seven years for them to find employment, something decent and just to be finding employment for the whole summer."
But there are also jobs out there for skilled workers. In fact, the situation right now seems to be businesses saying, ‘I can't find skilled employees,' instead of workers saying, ‘I can't find a job.'
And while the minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, the market minimum wage is climbing to about $6.50 an hour because of the demand for workers.
