By Gwen Kervin, Senior Economist

Employment in Utah’s tech sector has been steadily growing, making up a larger share of U.S. tech employment over the last several years. The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity has targeted the Software and IT industry in its mission to foster economic growth in the state. Within Utah, the tech industry accounted for just over 67,400 jobs in 2023 and paid a total of $9.28 billion in wages, the majority of which were paid out by software publishers and computer systems design and related services companies. However, this does not capture the entire picture, as employees with technical skills can be found across all sectors of the economy. Moreover, high-paying technical jobs don’t just benefit those who work in the tech sector or hold technical jobs. As tech employees spend money locally, they increase demand for goods and services in a variety of industries, supporting local employment and wages. 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...

By Ben Crabb, Chief Economist

Utah's economy has experienced an observable trend that has been occurring since early 2023: government job growth has been outpacing that of the private sector. High rates of growth in the public sector – which includes government employees in public administration roles as well as public education and hospitals – have helped keep Utah workers earning and spending as the broader labor market has slowed. While the contribution of the public sector to labor market performance has been beneficial, the private sector has typically been the bigger jobs-producing engine. What has been occurring in the past eighteen months that has allowed the public sector to outperform the private sector in job growth?

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