The state added 47,900 new jobs in the year ended April 30 for a growth rate of 4.2 percent, the Utah Department of Workforce Services reported Tuesday. It was enough to keep Utah within the top five states nationwide in terms of employment growth.

"Utah's labor market continues to signal a vibrant and growing economy," said Mark Knold, senior economist for the Department of Workforce Services. "But someone could make a case that we'd be doing even better if there were enough skilled workers to fill all the job openings."

The state's two fastest-growing sectors are natural resources and construction. Employment in the natural resources sector increased 12.8 percent over the past year. The number of new construction jobs created in Utah over the past 12 months reached 8,300 positions, a 10.7 percent increase.

And in both those sectors anecdotal evidence suggests that jobs are going unfilled and that if more workers could be found employment growth would have been even stronger, Knold said.

Like many of the companies involved in the state's rapidly expanding oil and gas industry, the Nabors Well Services Co. in Roosevelt is under constant pressure to find enough workers for its 13 rigs now operating in the Uintah Basin.

"It is a constant challenge. And it is particularly tough to find those with experience," said Greg Todd, manager of the Nabors' operations in eastern Utah. "We've even thought about going to some of the job fairs, which we haven't done before."

Knold said such experiences aren't uncommon. "A lot of the oil- and gas-exploration companies are getting creative in their search for workers. Some are looking for workers living within an eight-hour commute. They might offer a schedule of seven day on [the job] and seven days off to make it appealing enough for someone to consider driving the distance."

The state's transportation industry along with trade and utilities added 8,000 new jobs to the Utah economy over the past year for a growth rate of 3.6 percent.

And one particular sector of the transportation industry - trucking - continues to struggle with a chronic shortage of drivers.

"The economy is up, freight is up and tonnage is up, and just every one of our 300 member companies will say they have openings for drivers," said David Creer of the Utah Trucking Association. "Combined, those companies could probably add 2,000 to 3,000 drivers tomorrow if they could find them."

Utah's strong job growth drove the unemployment rate in April down to 3.5 percent from 4.4 percent a year ago. Approximately 46,200 Utahns were unemployed in April 2006. There were 55,100 Utahns without jobs in April 2005.

As has been the case since Utah's current economic expansion began in the second half of 2003, all sectors of the economy have been contributing to employment growth, Knold said.

The professional and business services sector added 10,800 jobs over the past 12 months. And the leisure and hospitality industry, which accounts for about 10 percent of all employment in the state, grew at a 2.1 percent pace, Knold said.

And recent sales reports show strong retail activity in Utah as a result of employment growth throughout the state's economy.

"Strong Utah employment growth and rising wages translate into more dollars to spend, which in turn is fueling Utah's retail-trade traffic, which produces more retail-trade employment," Knold said.

He said with rising incomes and increasing wages supporting consumer spending, there are few discernible economic risks ahead.

"That's not to say the Utah economy can't or won't slow, but even if it did, it would still remain well above the national economic performance," Knold said. "At this point, only a minimal risk from an uncontrollable national energy situation would knock the Utah economic environment off its present positive course."