Utah’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.6 percent in July, and the number of jobs was expanding at an annual rate of 3.5 percent. That’s a strong employment picture compared to the rest of the country, but Jonathan Springmeyer with Bonneville Research says it’s not keeping pace with Utah’s population.
“While we are back to where we were before the recession, it doesn’t count all the people that have entered into the job market," Springmeyer tells KUER. "Jobs are improving, but we’re still not keeping up with growth.”
Governor Gary Herbert points to the new job numbers as evidence that Utah’s economy is outpacing the rest of America. The national unemployment rate stands at 7.4 percent.