This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's economy supported 43,800 more jobs in January than it did a year earlier, a solid 3.2 percent annual gain.
"Our state begins the new year on strong economic footing," said Carrie Mayne, chief economist at the state Department of Workforce Services, noting in her monthly report Friday that Utah's jobless rate also dipped one-tenth of a percent to 3.1 percent.
With 1,431,800 nonfarm workers now on payrolls in the state, Utah's economy continues to outperform the country as a whole. Nationally, the annual job growth rate is up 1.5 percent and the unemployment rate is 4.8 percent.
Roughly 47,800 out-of-work Utahns are actively looking for employment, Mayne said.
With the exception of the struggling mining and natural resource extraction industry, which lost 1,000 jobs, all of Utah's employment sectors reported year-over-year gains.
The leisure and hospitality sector led the way, growing 4.6 percent with the addition of 6,100 jobs. Construction also saw a size employment boost (4.5 percent), while the trade, transportation and utilities sector added the most new positions — 9,700 — in growing 3.7 percent.
Education and health services posted another strong showing. That sector supported 6,600 more jobs than a year ago, a 3.5 percent rise.
Government employment was up 2.3 percent. Local governments grew the most, 2.8 percent, while state employment went up 1.8 percent and federal 1.4 percent.