By Michael Jeanfreau, Senior Economist

OnTheMap is an online tool that helps users explore workforce trends and commuting patterns. Whether focusing on where people work or live, OnTheMap provides clear, interactive data that simplifies the process of analyzing local economic conditions. This guide will help users get familiar with the tool and begin gathering insights into workforce trends in specific areas.

OnTheMap is powered by data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) dataset. LODES is a rich source of information that links workers to their employers and provides detailed insights into both employment and residential patterns. By connecting where people live with where they work, LODES offers a comprehensive view of commuting patterns and workforce characteristics across different regions. More...

By Marilyn Cannon, Regional Economist

What is JOLTS?

Every month the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a dataset called JOLTS — the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. This dataset is produced by surveying 21,000 business establishments throughout the United States about employment and payroll details. JOLTS provides labor market data such as the number of hires, job openings, and separations, on a national and state level. JOLTS is useful in showing movement within a labor market and demonstrating the health of an economy. More...

SALT LAKE CITY (October 18, 2024) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for September 2024 increased an estimated 1.8% across the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 32,100 jobs since September 2023. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,769,700. 

September’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 3.5%. Approximately 62,500 Utahns are unemployed. Utah’s August unemployment rate is unrevised at 3.3%. The September national unemployment rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1%. More...