Utah’s jobless rate stayed relatively low in June, at 2.7%, the same as May, continuing a healthy rebound from the economic effects of COVID-19.
That level of unemployment is akin to where the state’s economy was before the pandemic hit, experts say. It is also the second lowest rate in the U.S., just behind Nebraska’s 2.5%. At the same time, the U.S. unemployment rate increased slightly last month to 5.9%, up from 5.7% in May.
Compared to this time two years ago, Utah has added 51,300 jobs to its economy, up 3.3% over June 2019 in spite of warnings the state could face a shortage of willing workers as vaccination rates rise and commerce picks up.
Summer months have seen an “awakening” and “a rapid reemergence” to Utah’s economy, said Mark Knold, chief economist at the state Department of Workforce Services.
“The amount of job growth in the past month implies that, even with labor scarce, a decent amount of new labor has been found,” Knold said in a statement.
There are now more jobs than there were in 2019 in six of Utah’s 10 major private-sector industries, with growth especially strong in professional and business services; trade, transportation and utilities; construction; and manufacturing.
Jobs in mining, and leisure and hospitality, meanwhile, are still slightly down.
