Workers With Disabilities Help Fuel Utah’s Post-COVID Economy


By Ben Crabb, Regional Economist

Given intended economic restrictions through monetary policy undertaken by the United States Federal Reserve (Fed), the resilience of labor markets has been a surprise to many economists throughout 2022 and 2023. In Utah, the number of jobs now is above what would have been anticipated given the deep COVID jobs disruption coupled with Fed moves to slow the economy’s post-COVID inflation flareup. The continued expansion of the labor market depends to a large degree on maintaining a high labor force participation rate. After taking a downturn in the early part of the pandemic, Utah’s labor force participation rate has rebounded and is now at its highest level since 2009. This article will explore how an oftentimes under-utilized part of the workforce — workers with disabilities — has helped fuel Utah’s increased labor force participation rate. More...



Utah's Employment Summary: December 2023



SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 19, 2024) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for December 2023 increased an estimated 1.7% across the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 28,900 jobs since December 2022. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,734,700.


December’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 2.8%. Approximately 50,900 Utahns are unemployed. Utah’s November unemployment rate is unrevised at 2.8%. The December national unemployment rate is unchanged at 3.7%. More...





New Adoption Tax Credit Available for 2023 Taxes



The Utah Department of Workforce Services in partnership with the Utah State Tax Commission began accepting applications for the new Adoption Tax Credit certification. In 2023, the Utah Legislature passed the Adoption Tax Credit, H.B. 130, allowing eligible Utahns to receive a maximum credit of $3,500 in the year they finalized their adoption. More...