Press Release
January 22, 2021

UTAH’S EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY: December 2020

SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 22, 2021) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for December 2020 has grown by an estimated 0.6% across the past 12 months, with 9,900 more jobs since December 2019. Utah’s current employment level stands at 1,606,000. Utah’s November year-over job change remains unrevised at -0.2%.

December’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 3.6%, with approximately 60,100 Utahns unemployed. Utah’s November unemployment rate is unchanged at 4.3%. The December national unemployment rate of 6.7% is unchanged from November.

“In December, Utah became the second state economy to flip from COVID-induced job losses back to economic expansion,” reported Mark Knold, Chief Economist at the Department of Workforce Services. “ Entering the economic downturn with balanced economic fundamentals was the key for Utah to have absorbed significant job losses and in nine months reversed them. There is room for additional improvement, but the stage is set for an optimistic 2021.”

Utah’s December private sector employment recorded a noticeable year-over expansion of 1.1%, the first job expansion since March 2020. Seven of Utah’s 10 private-sector major industry groups posted net year-over job gains. These are led by Trade, Transportation and Utilities (14,000 jobs); Construction (6,900 jobs); Financial Activities (6,100 jobs); and Manufacturing (4,600 jobs). Three industry groups remain with year-over employment declines, including Leisure and Hospitality Services (-20,900 jobs); Information (-2,400 jobs); and Mining (-1,200 jobs).

* Additional analysis and tables at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/index.html

* County unemployment rates for December will be posted on or shortly after January 25, 2021, at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/une/season.pdf

* January employment information will be released at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.

Statistics generated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., modeled from monthly employer (employment) and household unemployment) surveys.

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