Utah Labor Market Indicators: December 2009

Bonneville Research: Monday Report

Utah Employment % Change: -2.8%
Employment # Change: -34,700
Unemployment Rate: 6.7%

United States Employment Change: -3.0%
Unemployment Rate: 10.0%

The Good News
• Healthcare continues to be Utah's strongest industry for employment additions. Over the past year, healthcare has added 6,200 new jobs to its Utah payrolls. Since the start of the recession, healthcare has added over 12,000 new jobs in Utah.

• Government employment has expanded during this recession. Federal government employment has risen by 500 positions over the past 12 months. Local government payrolls have increased by 2,500. State government payrolls have contracted by 200 positions over the past 12 months.

The Bad News
• Construction still shows the largest job decline of a year ago-down 12,200. Construction is the industry that has been in this downturn the longest. Over the past two years, over 36,000 construction jobs have been shed. This has lowered Utah construction employment to levels equaling 2004. On the accounting ledger, all of the jobs created during Utah's mid-2000s construction boom have vanished.

• The leisure and hospitality group has been exposed during this recession. With year-over losses of 8,800 jobs, its 7.8-percent decline currently makes it the second most impacted industry in Utah. Restaurants have lost the most jobs in this sector, yet there are also losses in the accommodation industry as well. The ski season got off to a slow start this year, and that delay is reflected in the low December employment counts.

• Manufacturing continues to record an employment level significantly below the year-ago level- down 8,500 jobs, or -7.1 percent. Manufacturing is the other industry hurt particularly hard by this economic downturn. Its two-year employment losses are approaching 17,000, matching manufacturing's employment levels not seen since 2003.

• Uintah County is the biggest loser, down over 20% from 2008 and is closely followed by Duchesne (-11.8%), Box Elder (-10.4%) and Piute (-10.1%).

• Gainers include: Beaver up 4.4% from 2008, Emery (+1.8%), Morgan County (+1%) and Tooele (+0.5%).

Source: Utah Workforce Services