Press Release
March 3, 2021

Utah's Employment Summary: January 2021

SALT LAKE CITY (March 3, 2021) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for January 2021 is estimated at -0.5% across the past 12 months, with 7,700 fewer jobs since January 2020. Utah’s current employment level stands at 1,549,100. Utah’s December year-over job change has been revised down to -0.6%.

January’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 3.1%, with approximately 50,100 Utahns unemployed. Utah’s December unemployment rate is revised lower to 3.3%. The January national unemployment rate lowered to 6.3%.

“The winter months have decelerated but not stopped the Utah economic recovery,” reported Mark Knold, Chief Economist at the Department of Workforce Services. “With end-of-year adjustments, December’s employment estimate has been scaled back, and the January estimates reflect a slight improvement over the revised December numbers. Yet private sector employment has returned to employment expansion. It is government employment that is curbing the overall picture, in particular, education employment.”

Utah’s January private sector employment recorded a year-over expansion of 0.3%. Five of Utah’s 10 private-sector major industry groups posted net year-over job gains, led by Professional and Business Services (9,900 jobs); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (8,100 jobs); and Financial Activities (4,100 jobs). Five industry groups remain with year-over employment declines, led by Leisure and Hospitality Services (-12,400 jobs); Education and Healthcare (-7,600 jobs); and Information (-1,500 jobs).

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

* County unemployment rates for January will be posted on or shortly after March 8, 2021, at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/une/season.pdf

* February employment information will be released at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, March 19, 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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