By Gwen Kervin, Regional Economist
When analyzing the profile of women in the workforce, economists often point to a wage gap between men and women. Such a gap is calculated by dividing the median female wage by the median male wage. The median is considered a better measure of the central tendency than averages, which can skew on the high or low end.
There are several datasets which can be selected for comparison, but this analysis will utilize the Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. It shows that nationally, adult women who work full-time earn approximately 81% of what their male counterparts earn. Looking at Utah, the ratio drops to 72%. Note that seasonal and part-time workers are excluded from these estimates as they introduce variability between the gender measures. Only full-time employment is used as it produces the identical standard needed for the uniform measure. More...
SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 18, 2022) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for October 2022 increased an estimated 3.1% across the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 50,600 jobs since October 2021. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,690,000.
October’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate is unchanged at 2.1%. Approximately 37,300 Utahns are unemployed. The October national unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percent to 3.7%.
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By James Robson, Senior Economist
Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two and a half years has been a singularly difficult historical and societal event with significant death, sickness and uncertainty. This pandemic dealt Utah, our Nation, and the World, the sharpest and most sudden widespread employment declines and severe economic disruptions in recent memory. Yet Covid-19 notwithstanding, essential economic activities had to continue whether there is a pandemic or not. Basic needs of food, shelter, utilities, healthcare, transportation and security must be maintained. Some activities migrated into homes through a teleworking format, while other activities could continue as is with relatively minor adjustments. There were other pursuits that could not make these adjustments and suffered from lingering COVID-19 impacts. However, one industry in Utah, that operated throughout the pandemic at quite normal or even high levels of employment, was construction. More...