DWS News
May 13, 2010

New Data on Job Vacancies Released by the Department of Workforce Services

Salt Lake City -  A special study on job vacancies in Utah has just been released by the Department of Workforce Services. It is on the DWS website at: http://jobs.utah.gov/wi/pubs/jvs/jvs09.pdf.

The Job Vacancy Study, conducted during the fourth quarter of 2009, measured the quantity and characteristics of vacant jobs in Utah by various geographic areas. It showed for that quarter what occupations were most in demand and which industries had the most vacant jobs

Nate Talley, the economist who supervised the study, says "This study tells us how many and what types of jobs are in demand in Utah. As expected, relatively few openings were captured when compared to vacancy volumes of previous years. Still, average offered wages in the Metro region increased slightly as numerous occupational openings in healthcare and engineering posted above average vacancy rates."

Results of the Job Vacancy Study were grouped into four geographic areas of Utah: Metropolitan (Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, Summit, Morgan, Weber, Davis, Juab and Salt Lake counties); Southwestern (Iron and Washington counties); Northern (Cache and Box Elder counties); and the Uintah Basin (Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties).

Some highlights from the study:

  • The average offered wage for job openings surveyed in the Metropolitan region was $14.10 per hour, which is up from the 2008 estimate of $13.40 per hour.
  • Openings requiring postsecondary education comprised a greater portion of total openings then ever before surveyed and offered wages characteristic of postsecondary skill sets and credentials at $21.00 per hour.
  • Openings in the education and manufacturing industries accounted for nearly 50 percent of the Northern region’s total vacancies.
  • Openings in the Uintah Basin filled faster than vacancies in any other survey area, as 55 percent of all vacancies were less than 30 days old.
  • Openings in Southwestern Utah were seasonal or temporary 42 percent of the time, which is the highest of any region surveyed

The current (May/June) issue of Trendlines magazine contains an article on the metro Job Vacancy Study.

For more information on the Job Vacancy Study, please contact Mark Knold at 801-526-9458.

###DWS###