Despite ‘contradictory forces,’ Utah’s economy continues to grow

File photo of the Utah Department of Workforce Services office, St. George, Utah, Dec. 7th, 2020 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for November 2021 increased an estimated 3.6% across the past 24 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 57,900 jobs since November 2019, according to a press release issued Friday by the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

File photo by Unsplash, St. George News

Utah’s current employment level stands at 1,646,900, the release states. November’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 2.1%, with approximately 34,500 Utahns unemployed. Utah’s October unemployment rate is unchanged at 2.2%. The November national unemployment rate continued to decline, registering 4.2%.

“While the supply of available labor keeps shrinking, the Utah economy continues to grow,” Mark Knold, chief economist at the Department of Workforce Services, said in the release.

“These seem like contradictory forces, yet the Utah economy continues to expand,” he added. “Utah leads the nation in job growth. Our economy cannot grow like this unless it is finding the labor it needs. So far that challenge is being met.”

Utah’s November private sector employment recorded a two-year expansion of 4.7%. Eight of Utah’s 10 major private-sector industry groups posted net two-year job gains, led by trade, transportation and utilities (21,100 jobs); professional and business services (16,800 jobs); construction (9,400 jobs); and manufacturing (8,300 jobs).

Mark Knold, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Utah Department of Workforce Services, St. George News

The two industry groups with less employment than two years ago are leisure and hospitality services (-1,600 jobs); and natural resources and mining (-900 jobs).

Statistics generated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., modeled from monthly employer (employment) and household (unemployment) surveys.

To listen to Knold share his analysis of the November 2021 employment report click here.

Additional information

  • Analysis and tables at this website.
  • County unemployment rates for November will post on or shortly after Monday online.
  • December’s employment information will be released at 7 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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