Utah's Labor Market and Economy

USU holds conference on 'electric' roads

2012-02-16T09:11:00.002-07:00

Engineers, government officials and scientists are gathering in Park City for an international conference on a futuristic system of electric roads that could power vehicles wirelessly.

Utah State University's Energy Dynamics Laboratory -- a leading researcher in electric road systems -- will sponsor the conference Thursday and Friday at Newpark Resort & Hotel at Kimball Junction.

The conference follows the award of a $2.7 million federal grant to establish an electrified bus route on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. Standard Examiner

SkyWest posts surprise loss of $18 million in fourth quarter

2012-02-16T09:08:00.002-07:00

SkyWest Inc. on Thursday posted a large fourth-quarter loss caused by higher maintenance costs and losses from two international airlines that it owns in part.

The St. George-based airline lost $18 million, or 35 cents per share. In contrast, SkyWest earned $37.2 million, or 67 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2010. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah tar sands still seeking investors despite questions

2012-02-16T09:01:00.002-07:00

Eastern Utah’s tar sands are just a year or so from producing their first commercial quantities of oil — if environmental appeals are settled and the company planning to mine can attract investors.

Two oil shale mining companies contend they’re right behind and said Wednesday at the Governor’s Energy Development Summit that the state is poised for “the next big play” in energy.

All of them — U.S. Oil Sands, Enefit American Oil and Red Leaf Resources — rejected naysayers’ claims that their technologies are unproven on a commercial scale. But Canada-based U.S. Oil Sands acknowledged it needs investors before it can produce 2,000 barrels a day at its PR Springs mine, which it envisions within a year and a half.

Opponents of the southern Uintah County project on state-leased lands have appealed the company’s state permit and enlisted a University of Utah scientist’s calculations to warn that the solvent will send cancer-causing tar compounds into the groundwater and toward the Colorado River. Some also suspect there won’t be sufficient commercial backing for the mine. Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake leaders consider charging new fee to keep streetlights shining

2012-02-16T08:00:00.004-07:00

Mayor Ralph Becker has proposed a street-lighting fee that would fund operation, maintenance and upgrades for more than 15,000 street lights.

Under the proposal, an additional $2.29 street-lighting charge would be added to residents' monthly utility bills. Businesses would pay $41.53 per month for every 75 feet of street frontage. Deseret News

The case of the disappearing Utah voters. . .

2012-02-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

With the upcoming elections in mind, the U.S. Census Bureau has just released historical voting-rate data. I have to admit I've been living in the past when it comes to Utah's voting data. I remember the good old days when three-fourths of Utah's citizen population over the age of 18 voted in a presidential election. (Typically, voter turnout is highest for presidential elections.) However, in 2008, Utah's citizen voting rate dropped to 53 percent. . .only one state showed a lower rate--Hawaii. Of course, Utah's demographics may have something to do with its low 2008 voting rate. . .Utah's the youngest state in the nation and young voters are less likely to cast their ballots than are older voters.

Interestingly, in Utah, the two presidential years with the lowest voting rates were 1996 and 2008 (click the "Utah Historical" tab in the graphic below). In both these years, a Democratic candidate won the presidential election (Clinton and Obama). Could "red" Utah's perception of the presidential race affect voter turnouts? Perhaps not. Utah's highest voting rate in recent history occurred in 1992 along with another Democratic presidential victory for Clinton.

You can download historical voting rate data from the graphic below or check out the Census Bureau website for more detailed information by educational attainment, race, gender, labor force participation, etc.

Jordan School District buses to feature ads

2012-02-15T15:10:00.001-07:00

A new form of advertising is about to become a reality in Utah: School buses in the Jordan School District will host advertisements on the side of their buses. The board unanimously approved a plan to place the ads Tuesday night and hopes buses will be sporting the new ads in the next few weeks.

During the first year, district spokesman Steven Dunham expects the district to make upward of $200,000. “We’re just hoping that any income will benefit the district,” he said. Deseret News

Seven Utah companies honored for energy savings

2012-02-15T10:13:00.003-07:00

Seven Utah companies will be recognized on Wednesday for steps they have taken to reduce energy consumption.

The companies all are members of the Utah Industrial Energy Efficiency Program. Their efforts will be recognized at the Governor’s Energy Development Summit at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake Tribune

Harmons downtown Salt Lake store opens to steady crowd

2012-02-15T10:08:00.001-07:00

The new Harmons grocery opened in downtown Salt Lake City this morning to a mix of the curious and those who were taking advantage of the convenience of having a big store nearby.

The store, just off the eastern edge of the giant office-residential-retail project, is the state’s first large grocery store in a downtown business district. At 100 S 135 E was built on two levels. A 50,000-square-foot ground level features a large produce department and meat counter with fresh fish. On the 18,000-square-foot mezzanine there is a deli with a seating capacity for about 300 customers. Salt Lake Tribune

Uintah Basin oil, gas drilling could be impacted by dispute between counties, Ute Tribe

2012-02-15T07:52:00.003-07:00

A long-running dispute between tribal and non-tribal governments over criminal jurisdiction in the Uintah Basin is threatening to throw a wrench into a valuable part of Utah's economic engine.

Leaders of the Ute Indian Tribe, in a Jan. 30 letter to commissioners in Duchesne and Uintah counties, outlined their plan to begin reviewing all non-tribal business activity taking place on tribal land "to determine whether cause exists for the termination of … leases, business licenses, rights of ways and access permits."

Much of the oil and natural gas drilling in the Uintah Basin right now is taking place on tribal land. The state, the counties and the tribe all receive severance tax revenues from drilling on federally managed lands. Deseret News

2011 tourism numbers highest ever in Cache County

2012-02-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

Tourism is on the rise in Cache County, according to the director of the Visitors Bureau. Collection of the transient room tax - a 3 percent sales tax on hotel stays in the county - was at its highest on record in 2011 at $359,159. That represents a 3.2 percent increase over 2010, and is 18.7 percent higher than in 2009. Another positive sign is an increase in the revenue per available hotel room. The average room rate in 2011 was $76.61 - up from $74.60 in 2010 and $76.23 in 2009. Last year, 57.9 percent of the available hotel rooms in the county were rented. That figure stood at 52.5 percent in 2010, and 47.8 percent in 2009. Herald Journal News

Parowan airport gets prairie dog fence

2012-02-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

Workers from Precision Pipe finished work on the underground portion of a prairie dog fence surrounding the Parowan airport Monday. The $293,000 fence covers 14,000 linear feet around the perimeter of the airport property with only a small section left open near some privately owned hangars on the north side of the property. The Spectrum

Construction complete at BLM one-stop building in Kanab

2012-02-13T07:52:00.002-07:00

Construction is complete on the the Bureau of Land Management" $9.25-million building. The project was funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Construction began in November of 2010, and occupation was in January of this year. building at 669 South Highway 89A. The building co-locates several local arms of the agency. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Headquarters, Color County District’s Kanab Field Office and locally-based BLM Fire units were previously housed in different locations.

The 5.4 acre site includes parking, storage and planting areas. The single story administrative building is 16,350 square foot, with an exterior of stone and stucco. It features a 6,600 foot warehouse for storage, a large paleontology laboratory and a general science lab. Southern Utah News

SUU to break ground on Southern Utah Museum of Art

2012-02-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

Southern Utah University is one step closer to the construction of the Southern Utah Museum of Art thanks to the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, which recently granted $1 million to the SUMA project. This gift brings fundraising for the museum to nearly $9 million in cash and pledges. As the university nears its $12.5 million goal, university officials hope to break ground for SUMA in the near future. SUMA is in its final design phase, will be free and open to the public. The Spectrum

Canyon Center development closer to reality

2012-02-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ghosts of the past are making way for skiers and others in the future now that a public-private funding mechanism is in place for the Canyon Center development, on the site of the old Canyon Racquet Center.
The $60-million-plus development will get a $14 million tax increment boost. Public amenities are to include a 1,200-stall parking garage and a pedestrian walkway crossing Wasatch Boulevard that could be used by skiers and a public park. The development also proposes restaurants, hotels, office buildings and office space. Financing includes a pledge of future tax revenues from several taxing entities that overlay the 11-acre site, including the Canyons School District. Deseret News

Salomon to open first U.S. store in Utah’s City Creek Center

2012-02-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Salomon USA said Friday it plans to open its first U.S. store in City Creek Center, the new downtown Salt Lake City shopping center opening next month. The store will carry Salomon-branded apparel, shoes, accessories and other so-called soft goods items sold on the Salomon website. Salomon hard goods, which includes skis, boots and other equipment, will still be sold by other, independent retailers.

The company didn’t have an exact opening date for the new store. City Creek Center is scheduled to open for business on March 22, and most of the stores in the 800,000-square-foot center will debut that day, as well. Salt Lake Tribune

St. George plans to restore historic courthouse

2012-02-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

The St. George City recently approved slightly more than $500,000 to begin renovating the city's Pioneer Courthouse exterior. The city acquired the structure, adding to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, from the county in the 1980s in a land swap. He said the building’s roof and exterior walls need repairs. Drainage problems will also be addressed. In early Feburary, the City Council appropriated $500,000 for exterior work on the recommendation of the city’s Historic Preservation Committee. Salt Lake Tribune

Central Utah's Third Quarter Gross Taxable Sales

2012-02-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

While the change in jobs remains the best indicator of a local area's economic health, gross taxable sales can certainly add to any economic analysis. While there seems to be very little job growth in central Utah, gross taxable sales data suggest these economies are digging themselves out of the recessionary trench.

First of all, let's address the 500 lb elephant in the room. . .or rather the chart's 215-percent year-over change for Millard County during the first quarter of 2008. Obviously, it's quite unusual for even small counties to see their sales more than triple. What happened? The vast majority of this one-time gain resulted from business expenditures in the utilities industry. While I don't have access to the detail of this data, it seems likely that increase can be traced back to the Intermountain Power Project.

Fast forward to third quarter 2011. Three of the five counties in this central Utah area generated year-to-year gains during the third quarter of 2011 suggesting these economies are in recovery.

Piute County generated the largest gain (30 percent). However, keep in mind that in small counties, relatively small numeric changes result in relatively large percent changes. On the other hand, Piute County has seen its sales expand for five consecutive quarters.

Sanpete County's sales tax performance has followed a typical boom-to-bust business cycle. Its worst losses occurred mid-2009. However, it has only returned to sales growth in the most recent two quarters. As job growth has finally returned to the county, so has an increase in overall sales. Between the third quarters of 2010 and 2011, sales expanded by a robust 9 percent.

With few quarterly exceptions, Wayne County's sales position has improved since early 2010. Nevertheless, the current 8-percent year-to-year does not reflect the current employment crisis in the county resulting from the shutdown of a major employer.

Millard County's third quarter 2011 decline of 13 percent appears more the result of comparison to very strong (and unusual) construction expenditures in the third quarter 2010 rather than the result of an economic downturn.

Sevier County displayed a relative minor 4-percent decline in sales for third quarter. However, Since mid-2010, the county has been more likely to experience sales gains than sales losses. Sales have bounced somewhat between loss and gain for about a year and a half--a much better situation than the eight quarters of consecutive sales declines starting in the second quarter of 2008. In other words, while not perfect, sales have shown improvement.

For detailed sales tax data, click here.

Morgan Chamber of Commerce envisions Morgan

2012-02-10T11:55:00.007-07:00

The Chamber of Commerce has been working extremely hard for the past year in getting an Economic Development plan in place to best assist businesses in Morgan.

Department of Workforce Services was present to let the community know what is available through services and working with businesses to help accommodate all types of businesses needs.

DWS can help you get up to $18,000 max in tax credits. Many state and federally funded programs can get an employer up to $2000 back on hiring from their targeted lists for employee hires. DWS can bond for businesses, sort through resumes, help fill job orders for employers with their 79,000 registered users, and can help pull in the right employee for your business.

DWS can help set up Job Fairs, including sending out flyers and doing branding and marketing for your business; a free service to help businesses. The Morgan County News

<< DWS Employer Services

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A New Approach to Poverty - Trendlines article

2012-02-10T09:34:00.004-07:00

The Official Poverty Measure (OPM) was designed in the early 1960s and officially adopted in 1969. But it was never intended to be anything more than a temporary solution to the problem of measuring poverty. Not until the 1990s did work begin on developing a new method for measuring poverty and only this year did the Census Bureau publish its initial set of supplemental poverty estimates. The new supplemental poverty measure addresses problems inherent in the official poverty measure and provides a new perspective on the numbers of those in poverty based on age, race, and ethnicity.

To read more, click here.

Developing: J&J may invest $85m in Salt Lake-based Coherex Medical

2012-02-10T07:54:00.002-07:00

Johnson & Johnson may invest $85 million or more in Salt Lake City-based Coherex Medical Inc., a medical device maker, and possibly purchase the company in about six months.

Johnson & Johnson, the New Brunswick, N.J.-based health-care supply company, will buy equity and debt from Coherex, which make closure devices for holes in the heart septum. The deal will likely close by the end of next week. Deseret News

Utah to get $171M in huge foreclosure deal

2012-02-10T07:32:00.002-07:00

Utah is receiving an estimated $171 million in money, reductions in mortgage principals and loan modifications as its portion of a sweeping $25 billion deal struck by 49 states and the federal government with five of the largest U.S. banks.

Many Utah homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure over the past four years will get about $2,000 apiece in compensation. Those who are being foreclosed on or whose loan is for more than their home is worth (known as being underwater) could receive reductions in principals of their loans, modifications of the terms or forgiveness of penalties.

Others who can’t afford payments even with a modification could be allowed short sales for less than the worth of their loans or "cash for keys" deals that allow them to walk away. Salt Lake Tribune

Southwest Utah's Gross Taxable Sales Performance in 3rd Quarter 2011

2012-02-09T11:10:00.001-07:00

Recently released gross taxable sales data from the Utah State Tax Commission can help flesh out the economic situation in Utah's southwestern corner. Three of the five counties in this area--Iron, Kane, and Washington--experienced a sales growth during the third quarter of 2011.

In line with most economic indicators, gross taxable sales took a decided hit during the recent business downturn--particularly when compared to the "booming" sales of previous years. Like employment, improvement in the sales arena has proved rather slow for most areas.

Iron County's worst sales declines occurred in mid-2009. Since that point, only three quarters displayed year-to-year gains. Third quarter 2011 was one of those quarters with a 4-percent increase. Improvements in the labor market suggest that sales may also pick up in 2012.

During the third quarter of 2011, Kane County's sales increased roughly 5 percent compared to the same time period in 2010. Kane County's sales record has proved more enthusiastic (if erratic) since the bottom of the downturn. This trend also mimics employment trends. Kane County returned to job growth status sooner than most Utah counties although not without a few stumbling blocks.

During the third quarter of 2011, Washington County managed its best year-over gain in sales since 2006. Sales grew by 7 percent marking the third straight quarter of sales improvement. Again, sales gains have tracked gains in the labor market.

On the losing end, Garfield County's sales dropped by almost 8 percent in the third quarter. This decline marked a deterioration in the county's past positive performance during the past two years. Again, the current decline in sales follows the trend set by employment levels.

Beaver County joined Garfield as the other sales-losing county. Similar to many other small counties, Beaver County's sales have followed an erratic course. In less-populated counties, small numeric changes result in larger percent changes. However, another factor is also at work in Beaver County. Large and temporary business expenditures have generally kept Beaver County's sales high in recent quarters. However, once the business expenditures ceased, more normal sales levels appear to be notable declines. Such is the case with Beaver's current 6-percent decrease in sales. During most of 2010 and 2011 sales were increasing at double-digit rates.

For more detailed information on quarterly gross taxable sales, click here.

New Cost of Living Information available

2012-02-09T08:32:00.007-07:00

It is common for someone to want to know if his/her annual pay is keeping pace with inflation from year-to-year. There are two different approaches to calculating inflation adjusted figures:

(1) State the series in terms of most recent year's dollars, or

(2) Use the beginning year of the series as the reference point. The U.S. Bureau of the Census uses the first approach to present ant compare median income figures for the past several years. The second approach is useful in determining if, for example, average or individual wages are keeping pace with inflation.

Find the latest data here. Direct questions to the DWS Chief Economist, Mark Knold, at (801) 526-9458.

Salt Lake a testing ground for new way to pay

2012-02-09T08:19:00.004-07:00

This summer Salt Lake City area residents and merchants will be asked to take part in a pilot program aimed at getting them to use their mobile phones to pay for many of the things they buy in an initiative that will then be rolled out nationwide.

The pilot effort is part of a major push by the credit card and online payment industry to get U.S. consumers and businesses to adopt mobile phone payments, as well as to use so-called smart cards, which are credit cards that transmit payment information through an embedded chip.

Participants at the Smart Card Alliance conference in downtown Salt Lake City said Wednesday they expect to see adoption of smart cards accelerate as they find increasing acceptance among consumers and as more businesses buy terminals to process the new payment technologies. Salt Lake Tribune

Grocery prices in Salt Lake Valley inching up in the new year

2012-02-09T08:13:00.003-07:00

For the first time since October, the average cost of a trip to the grocery store in the Salt Lake Valley inched higher this month. According to the Deseret News' fantasy shopping spree, the total price of a cart of popular items, along with a tank of gas and a weekend outing, was more than the total for the same things on January 5. Deseret News

Harmons ready with downtown store

2012-02-08T10:52:00.005-07:00

After years of doing without, downtown Salt Lake City will have a grocery store with the opening of Harmons City Creek on Feb. 15., and urban dwellers could not be more delighted. The store, just off the eastern edge of the giant City Creek development, will be the state’s first large grocery in a downtown business district.

The store opening is a prelude to the March 22 debut of the City Creek development, owned and managed by the development arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They expect the thousands of people who work downtown, but live in the suburbs, to be among those who will shop at their new store. But it is the rapidly forming critical mass of downtown residents who they hope will make up a large portion of their clientele. The City Creek development alone is creating 536 housing units.

Harmons research has shown that within the City Creek store “footprint” — including downtown, the Avenues and surrounding neighborhoods — there are 30,000 households. Salt Lake Tribune

Utahns enjoy low energy prices, but changes looming

2012-02-08T10:39:00.002-07:00

The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a utility group that opposes increased limits on coal use, said this year more than half of American families, or those with annual incomes of less than $50,000, will be spending as much as 20 percent of their annual incomes for energy.

Compared with the rest of the country, Utah families have been fortunate in terms of the increases they have been facing in their electricity and heating bills. At a time when electricity rates were doubling nationally, power bills in Utah rose only 42 percent while the cost of heating a home with natural gas has trended downward and now costs the typical family living in the state 22 percent less than a decade ago.

Tim Funk of the Crossroads Urban Center, an organization that serves and represents the interest of low-income residents of the state. He states, "But we also now have our power company — Rocky Mountain Power — telling us we’re going to be in for annual rate increases for a good number of years." Salt Lake Tribune

Olympics leave lasting economic impact

2012-02-08T10:26:00.002-07:00

A decade ago, Utah became the sports capital of the world during its 16-day run as host of the XIX Olympic Winter Games. The event raised the Beehive State's profile. But it also brought economic impacts that are still being felt throughout the Wasatch front.

Official state estimates of the economic impact showed the Salt Lake Olympics yielded $100 million in profits, $4.8 billion in sales, 35,000 job years of employment and $1.5 billion in earnings for Utah workers during 2002.

Since then, the state's ski and lodging industries have enjoyed record-setting years, with a 42 percent increase in skier visits. Direct expenditures from skiers and snowboarders have increased 67 percent from $704 million in 2002-03 to $1.2 billion in 2010-11.

In addition, numerous national governing bodies for many Olympic sports have relocated to Utah as a result of the Games, including speedskating, bobsled and skeleton, as well as the nordic training facilities. Deseret News

Preliminary 2011 Unemployment Rates now available

2012-02-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Preliminary unemployment rates are now available for each of Utah's counties. Although these rates will be revised next month as the figures go through the Bureau of Labor Statistics' "benchmarking" process, they provide a quick look at Utah's unemployment hot spots.

As you can see from the map, unemployment in Utah has a definite geographic flavor. The southeast corner of Utah demonstrates some of the highest jobless figures. In particular, Grand, San Juan, Garfield, and Wayne counties all show double-digit unemployment rates. This isn't a particularly unusual state of affairs. San Juan County's high rate of unemployment reflects, in part, the significant level of joblessness among the county's native American population. Grand, Wayne, and Garfield counties are all heavily dependent on seasonal tourism-related employment which generally keeps their jobless rates among the highest in the state. In addition, Wayne County has just suffered the loss of its largest employer.

In addition, Washington, Iron, Juab, Sanpete and Box Elder counties displayed unemployment rates above or near the 9-percent mark in 2011. (Utah's jobless rate measured 7 percent.) Recessionary employment losses in manufacturing and/or construction hit these counties hard.

Counties with the lowest unemployment levels in 2011 tended to be located in the northeast and Wasatch Front areas. The Unitah Basin with its current influx of oil/gas jobs showed particularly low joblessness. Again, the metropolitan areas of the Wasatch Front generally show lower unemployment than the more rural areas of Utah. In this case, Millard County with its 5.5 percent unemployment rate is a major exception.

You can download these annual unemployment rates by using the toolbar located at the bottom of the graphic.

Central Utah Construction Activity Update

2012-02-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Construction permitting data for the first 11 months of 2011 preview a pretty dismal year for counties in the central Utah area. This information compiled by the Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research indicates that Millard, Sanpete, Sevier and Wayne counties all experienced significant declines in permitted building activity. Only Sanpete County (down 12 percent) experienced a decline in values of less than 50 percent compared to the same time period in 2010.

A few bright spots did emerge in this rather bleak picture. In Millard County, the number of new residential unit permits issued almost doubled. Moreover, the vast majority of these permits were for single family homes.

In Sanpete County, nonresidential permitting took center stage--more than doubling the value of permits for January to November 2010. A permits for a private education building and a new church helped buoy up the county's nonresidential figures. Remember that public projects typically aren't issued a building permit.

Moreover, strong permitting for additions/alterations/repairs in both Millard and Sevier counties kept values from slipping even farther.

Housing markets across Utah seem to be stabilizing. Those market adjustments seem to indicate 2012 may prove a better year for construction activity in central Utah.

Use the interactive graphic below to explore (and download) central Utah's construction numbers. You can also access city-level data and detailed structure information at the Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research website.

Report shows increase in home sales for 2011

2012-02-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Utah Association of Realtors issued a report showing almost 33,000 home sales in 2011. This number of sales was the highest since 2007.

Sales in December were 12 percent higher than sales in December 2010.

Sale increases were higher in several counties. Uintah County saw a 33 percent increase compared to 2010. Wasatch saw a 21.4 increase. Washington saw an 11.9 percent increase and Utah County was up 10.9 percent.

Single-family homes saw the highest sales with a 10 percent increase compared to condos and townhouses, which only saw a 1 percent increase. Deseret News

Just for Fun. . . The Super Bowl stock market indicator

2012-02-08T05:32:00.001-07:00

It’s one of those things that’s too much fun not to pay attention to this time of year; I’m talking about the Super Bowl Stock Market Indicator.

This nutty little barometer that seemingly has nothing to do with stocks has been correct in 35 of the past 45 years by asserting that the when a team from the old National Football League (before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger) or a team from the National Football Conference wins the Super Bowl, large cap U.S. stocks will advance for the year. A champion from the AFC or old American Football League is supposed to bring out the bears. This suggests that a win by the NFC’s New York Giants over the AFC’s New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in on Sunday would be bullish for stocks. John Dobosz for Forbes.

Construction Activity Update for Southwestern Utah

2012-02-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

The Bureau of Economic and Business Research has just updated their construction permitting data for Utah. With eleven months worth of information available, now is a great time to preview 2011 construction activity in Southwestern Utah.

Let's cut to the chase. Homebuilding did not make a comeback in the southwest corner of Utah during 2011. For most counties, the number of permitted residential "units" is down in the 25 to 45-percent range. Ouch.

Perhaps the largest surprise is Washington County's performance. A prime participator in the housing bubble, one might expect Washington County to show one of the worst performances in the area. Not so. The number of home permits authorized in the first eleven months of 2011 measures only 1.5 percent below the comparable figures for 2010. That's mere decimal dust in the volatile world of residential construction. Moreover, Washington County actually saw an increase in home-permitting during 2010!

It does appear that the Washington County housing market is making significant adjustments towards the ever inevitable equilibrium point.Other factors support this suggestion. Home sales continue to improve, foreclosure rates are down, prices have bottomed, and realtors indicate that inventories are down. Nevertheless, in 2009 the number of Washington County home permits hit the lowest level in 20 years. In other words, while the market is adjusting, the county still has market miles to go before it reach a more "normal" level of home building.

Iron County also participated in the homebuilding boom to a lesser degree, but its market has yet to stabilize. The remaining rural counties--Beaver, Garfield, and Kane remain in the residential construction doldrums. Statewide, the number of units permitted is still down slightly from last year, but values actually showed a nice uptick.

On the other hand (yes, I remember Truman's remark about wanting a one-handed economist), Garfield, Beaver, and Washington counties have benefited from substantial increases in nonresidential permitting during the year. Beaver County's nonresidential permitting grew by a whopping 500 percent in the first 11 months of 2011. (Can you say "wind farm construction?") These commercial building projects meant Beaver and Garfield counties experienced overall expansion in permit-authorized values. A quick look at the pie charts on the map reveal that nonresidential permits certainly dominated the landscape in both Beaver and Garfield counties.

Despite at least one major public project (dams,roads, schools, public buildings--are not typically permitted), Kane County experienced a virtual cessation of construction activity during 2011. Overall, permit values dropped by 72 percent when the first 11 months of 2011 and 2010 are compared.

The graphic below is interactive, so you can use it to explore the figures for each county. The data can also be downloaded directly from the graphic. And, city-level data is available from the Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research's website.

Utah’s Seven Peaks expands with new Sandy center

2012-02-07T10:19:00.002-07:00

Seven Peaks, the Orem-based company that operates family entertainments centers in northern Utah, said it has opened a location in Sandy.

The new center is at 7984 South 1300 East, the former site of Karen Pullman’s Pro Shop and Bowling Center, which Seven Peaks acquired in December. Salt Lake Tribune

Location: Sandy, UT

As more vets return from war, many have difficulty in finding jobs

2012-02-07T09:44:00.005-07:00

Part of the new generation of veterans, many are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They will make the adjustment to civilian life as many have done before — but times have changed. The economy is nowhere near as welcoming as World War II vets experienced, or for veterans from the first Gulf War for that matter. And the types of jobs most available do not necessarily lend themselves to the skills of ex-soldiers. This is especially troubling to experts, who say that a steady job helps soldiers transition to civilian life after years of regimented existence.

Some things are better for veterans. Employers now sometimes go searching job boards to hire a vet over a non-vet. Being in the war isn't something to hide on your resume anymore.

The veteran unemployment rate has been historically lower than for non-veterans — 7.7 percent compared to the national 8.5 percent unemployment rate. But the problem is with young veterans around age 18 to 29. In 2010, the unemployment rate for people between 20 to 24 and 25 to 29 was respectively 15.4 percent and 10.7 percent, while veterans in those age groups were unemployed at rates of 20.6 percent and 14.9 percent. Deseret News

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Current Economic Snapshots available

2012-02-07T09:28:00.006-07:00

Snapshots are now available on the Department of Workforce Services website for Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Washington, and Wayne counties.

For other counties, click here and choose the county you wish to view. Each link can be accessed under "Just Released" in the column on the right.

Utah incentives total $148 million to spur growth

2012-02-07T09:24:00.003-07:00

Last year, Utah said it would give $148 million worth of incentives to help companies expand, more than double the amount allocated in 2010, as the state tries to spur employment.

Utah gives money in the form of tax rebates. Last year's recipients included IM Flash Technologies Inc, ITT Corporation and eBay. That funding will help add 10,265 jobs and generate over $383 million in new revenue for the state, according to Governor's Office of Economic Development data. In 2010 Utah gave $62.4 million in incentives that would generate $248 million in state revenue. The program doesn't involve the state spending cash. Instead it represents rebates given to companies after they hire new employees.

The 20 companies that participated in the program last year will add $6.2 billion in new wages throughout the state over the course of about 10 years, on average. Deseret News

Study forecasts recovering home prices for 2012 in Salt Lake metro area

2012-02-06T11:57:00.003-07:00

The financial services company Fiserv Inc. recently released a new study of more than 380-plus U.S. housing markets and forecast recovering prices for many of the housing markets across 2012 and 2013.

The study shows an average of a 31 percent decrease in home prices across the last five years in the U.S. from the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2011. This decrease shows the heart of the recent recession and its effects on the average family’s largest investment. Across the same five-year period, prices in the Salt Lake area decreased by a little over 16 percent.

Fiserv forecasts for 2012 show a 1.5 percent growth in prices on average in the Salt Lake area from third quarter of 2011 to that same quarter in 2012. Deseret News

Former Flying J donates millions to Utah business schools

2012-02-06T11:15:00.004-07:00

The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah each will receive $1.75 million, FJ Management Inc. said Monday.

Each school will receive $1 million to fund new career services centers that will bear the Flying J name. Each will get an additional $750,000 over a 15-year period for FJ Management employees who apply for scholarships.

The donation will help students pay for their higher education, Douglas Anderson, dean of Utah State’s business school, said.

FJ Management is the new name of Flying J adopted after the restructured company emerged from bankruptcy in 2010. FJ Management was converted from an oil company whose main business was a network of travel plazas and truck stops in the U.S. and Canada into a holding company for financial services and energy businesses. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah’s Headwaters sees best 1Q performance in years

2012-02-06T11:06:00.001-07:00

Headwaters Inc., a South Jordan-based building products company, has reported its strongest first quarter performance in more than three years.

The company said its revenue for the period ended Dec. 31 increased to $137.4 million from $135.8 million, compared with the same period a year ago. Salt Lake Tribune

Census Bureau Reports Post-Recession Growth in 10 to 11 Service Sectors

2012-02-06T09:58:00.007-07:00

The U.S. Census Bureau today released its 2010 Service Annual Survey, which shows that of the nation's 11 service sector, 10 showed an increase in revenues for employer firms between 2009 and 2010. Only the finance and insurance sector (NAICS 52) showed a loss ($27.2 billion, a loss of 0.8 percent).

“The statistics presented in this year's Service Annual Survey are noteworthy,” said Thomas Mesenbourg, the Census Bureau's deputy director. “We are able to present a six-year trend that clearly shows the impact the most recent recession had on certain service sectors. At the same time, the newly released 2010 statistics show that in some industries there is evidence of a statistically significant change in an upward direction.”

The Service Annual Survey provides the most comprehensive national statistics available annually on service activity in the United States. Since 2009, the survey was expanded to collect data for all service industries, capturing 55 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). Previously, the survey accounted for only 30 percent of GDP.

INFORMATION SERVICES SECTOR

“Increases varied widely across service sectors. For example, the information sector (NAICS 51) increased from $1.08 trillion to $1.1 trillion. Within this sector, Internet publishing and broadcasting (NAICS 516) continued to see increased revenues, up 11.3 percent from $19.1 billion to $21.3 billion in 2010.

Television broadcasting (NAICS 51512) increased 12.0 percent from $31.6 billion to $35 billion. Cable and subscription other programming (NAICS 5152) as well as wireless telecommunications carriers (NAICS 5172) also saw increases in revenue of 7.3 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, to $55.2 billion and $195.5 billion.

However, revenues for newspaper (NAICS 51111) and periodical publishers (NAICS 51112) continued to fall. Newspaper publishers declined by 4.6 percent to $34.7 billion, and periodical publishers declined 1.8 percent to $38.4 billion. Wired telecommunications carriers (NAICS 5171) continued to decline, falling 2.3 percent to $168.8 billion.

OTHER SECTORS

Health care and social assistance revenue (NAICS 62) continued to increase for employer firms, rising to $1.9 trillion in 2010, an increase of 4.0 percent. Hospitals (NAICS 622) increased revenue to $822.6 billion, up 4.5 percent from 2009. Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623) also rose 4.4 percent to $192.0 billion.

The finance and insurance sector (NAICS 52) had a small decline to $3.3 trillion in revenues in 2010, decreasing 0.8 percent from the prior year. Securities and commodity exchanges revenue (NAICS 5232) decreased 1.5 percent to $10.9 billion, while miscellaneous intermediation revenue (NAICS 523910) rose 16.0 percent to $23.6 billion.

Among other sectors covered by the Service Annual Survey:

The utilities sector (NAICS 22) showed estimated revenues of $501.7 billion, an increase of 5.0 percent from $477.6 billion in 2009.
Arts, entertainment and recreation (NAICS 71) increased 2.0 percent to $192 billion in revenue.
Revenues for the transportation and warehousing sector (NAICS 48-49) were $640.2 billion in 2010, up 7.6 percent from $595.2 billion in 2009.
The real estate rental and leasing sector (NAICS 53) had total revenues of $356.0 billion, up 1.8 percent from 2009. New subsectors added last year to this sector included real estate (NAICS 531) and lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets (NAICS 533).

See this survey: 2010 Service Annual Survey

Jackson Flat Reservoir Dam in Kane County nearly complete

2012-02-06T06:07:00.002-07:00

Southern Utah News

After years of planning, and 19 months of construction, the last eight inches of compacted soils in the Jackson Flat dam structure will be placed in the next few days. Additional work on the pump station and other less critical items will be finalized in February. The $12-million reservoir has a total storage capacity of 4,228 acre-feet of water, or 1.38 billion gallons of water. The added storage will more than double the amount of water available during the growing season for farms, residential yards and gardens, the Kanab High School Football Field, and potentially other recreational and public areas in the city such as the parks, and cemetery. Southern Utah News

Snow College unveils plans for Richfield Campus

2012-02-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Snow College's future - including the Richfield campus - was discussed during a public meeting Jan. 18 in Richfield. "Our goal is to double enrollment at this campus," said Snow College President Scott Wyatt. He detailed a plan, which is designed to implement mandates from the Legislature, as well as the Utah State Board of Regents. Wyatt explained the state's 2020 plan, which calls for three goals - increase the number of people going to college, help a larger proportion graduate and economic innovation by being more engaged with industry.

One of the changes on the Richfield campus Wyatt announced is the development of five new career and technology programs. Several CTE programs have been cut from the school's offerings in the past three years, and the new programs are part of a refocusing effort. The programs include industrial technology, manufacturing, facility maintenance, mining technology and energy technology. Another new program involving the Richfield campus is a natural resources management degree. Another new program for Snow students is a commercial music program. Richfield Reaper

Ephraim City housing authority nixes ‘affordable’ subdivision

2012-02-06T05:56:00.002-07:00

The Ephraim City Housing Authority buckled to pressure from adjacent homeowners and voted last week not to pursue development in Danish Fields, where it had preliminary plans to use a federal grant for affordable single-family homes in the upscale neighborhood.

Until last week’s vote, the developer had a verbal agreement to sell the remaining land to the housing authority for the affordable-homes subdivision. The homes would have been approximately 1,400 square feet—just 100 square-feet shy of the minimum house size permitted under covenants in adjacent Danish Fields. Sanpete Messenger

American Fork alarm company Platinum Protection lays off most of staff

2012-02-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

A Utah-based home alarm company with customers around the country dismissed most of its employees Thursday in a restructuring with an uncertain future. Platinum Protection of American Fork, which in recent years said it had 140,000 installed customers in its first four years of business, dismissed 65 corporate employees, along with its sales and technical staff, said Mike Melzer, in-house legal counsel. He said the company would not be selling new accounts, but he did not know how many salespeople and technicians lost their jobs. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah County I-15 rebuild may cost $200M less than expected

2012-02-03T12:10:00.007-07:00

The massive reconstruction of Interstate 15 in Utah County — scheduled to wrap up late this year — may cost $200 million less than its original $1.73 billion overall budget, highway officials told legislators Friday.

Lawmakers said that $200 million could help the state save even more by avoiding some planned borrowing this year through bonding. In fact, Utah would save $66 million over the life of those bonds, said Mark Bleazard, fiscal analyst for the Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee. Salt Lake Tribune

For more information about this project, check out this site.

Convention center racing to completion

2012-02-03T07:55:00.008-07:00

There are approximately 38 events already on the calendar with more groups showing interest the Utah Valley Convention Center due for a public grand opening on May 12th. There are two walls of glass where you can see Timpanogos on the north and the Wasatch to the east, which is sure to be a selling point, according to general manager, Danny Wheeler.

The building has 19,620 square feet of flexible exhibit hall space. It will have a 40-foot ceiling at it highest and 32 feet at its lowest. The main floor also will house the Convention and Visitors Bureau's Visitor Center and other offices.

The second floor boasts nearly 19,000 square feet of flexible ballroom space that can accommodate up to 1,240 in a banquet setting. It is the largest ballroom facility in Utah County. The third floor offers 10,000 square feet of meeting rooms and an executive board room. Daily Herald

For more information about this project, check out this site.

Pinching prescription meds saves millions for Utah Medicaid

2012-02-03T07:25:00.005-07:00

Utah lawmakers had hoped to save up to $8 million last year by steering Medicaid patients to a "preferred list" of less-expensive prescription medicines. But the payoff was even greater: $27.6 million in fiscal year 2011, according to new Utah Department of Health data.

Until now, Medicaid recipients in Utah have enjoyed almost unfettered access to mental health drugs. Those who need other prescriptions face a "preferred drug list," which guides them to safest, best and cheapest medicines. Mental health professionals continue to oppose the measure, fearing it will make it harder to treat an already hard-to-treat population. Salt Lake Tribune

Degrees of Freedom - Trendlines article

2012-02-03T07:14:00.006-07:00

The relationships between people’s educational attainment, employment security, and earnings are well documented. As individuals gain more education, they are less likely to experience unemployment and more likely to earn higher wages, on average. For many, a Bachelor’s degree is the postsecondary educational pathway through which these economic advantages are secured.

Whether you’re evaluating a Bachelor’s degree major by number of recipients, the earnings of recipients, or some other criteria, rest assured that there are many majors from which to choose that offer a unique field of knowledge and skill sets. Simply exercise your freedom to choose one.

Read more of this article in our Trendlines publication here.

Comments on Alton Mine Expansion

2012-02-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

The National Park Service says an expanded Alton coal mine will hurt Bryce Canyon’s views and tourism, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it likely will wipe out the southern Utah area’s sage grouse population. Those are among skeptical government comments submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as it completes its environmental review of a plan to expand the Coal Hollow Mine from private land onto BLM-held tracts about 10 miles southwest of the park.

Meanwhile, Kane County officials have reiterated their support for the project. The County Commission said in a news release that the mine will create at least 240 jobs and provide $1.5 billion in economic benefits to Garfield and Kane counties over 30 years. Salt Lake Tribune

Sevier Road and Kane County water receive Community Impact Fund Board Funds

2012-02-02T16:12:00.001-07:00

A little-known state panel Thursday approved spending more than $17 million to cover the increased costs of building the Quitchupah Road, which would primarily serve hundreds of coal trucks that make the trip between the SUFCO mine near Salina and the power plants in Emery County. The 2.5 percent, 15-year loan was approved by the state’s Permanent Community Impact Fund Board, which doles out money earned through mineral leases on federal lands. The newest chunk of money supplements previous loans and grants of $12.5 million, and brought the board’s participation in the road project to nearly $30 million. Conceived around 15 years ago, the road will save about 300 coal trucks an extra 46-mile trek over Interstate-70 to State Route 10 and to the power plants, which take about 60 percent of the coal from the state’s largest mine.

Among the board’s other actions Thursday was reconsidering a $7 million low-interest loan to help build a new water system in a northwestern Kane County vacation community, Zion View Estates.

The project would help owners of 250 homes and lots after state regulators ordered the community to correct its water safety problems immediately or face a system shutdown. Salt Lake Tribune

Business owners hope to survive state Highway 14 landslide

2012-02-02T15:37:00.005-07:00

Normally, this Kane County winter destination would be full of people renting snowmobiles and eating at the restaurants on the weekend. But a landslide has shut down not just the main road leading here, but the economic engine to this village and the surrounding towns.

The impact may last longer than winter, which has businesses here concerned if they can survive the lengthy repair schedule. UDOT hopes to have a contractor in place to remove the rest of the debris beginning in March. A gravel road is to be open in June, and a fully paved highway finished by July 4. However, by then the tourist season is half over. Deseret News

More Current Economic Snapshots

2012-02-02T15:16:00.003-07:00

Snapshots are now available on the Department of Workforce Services website for Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Uintah, and Weber counties.

For other counties, click here and choose the county you wish to view. Each link can be accessed under "Just Released" in the column on the right.

Current Economic Snapshots

2012-02-02T12:23:00.005-07:00

Snapshots are available online for Carbon, Emery, Grand, Juab, San Juan, Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Utah, and Wasatch counties.

For other counties, click here and choose the county you wish to view. Each link is under "Just Released" on the right hand side.

Commission votes to rezone land

2012-02-02T08:27:00.004-07:00

Monday’s Uintah County Commission voted to rezone land adjacent to Air Village Hills, laying the groundwork for the construction of a large subdivision to be called Outlaw Country Development.

The rezone will take residential and agricultural land and re-classify it for high-density residential housing while expanding commercial property. Vernal Express

Location: Vernal, UT

Salt Lake County to be lenient with late business licenses

2012-02-02T08:08:00.005-07:00

About 40 Salt Lake County companies that were tardy last year in renewing business licenses could receive relief from late-payment penalties.

The County Council decided this week to give those companies a chance to document their compliance history and to show that they missed last year’s deadline because the county changed the timing of its renewal process.

Business-license fees vary, based on the nature of the company, the number of employees, ownership of commercial vehicles and other factors. Late fees may range from 25 percent to 100 percent, depending on how much time has elapsed since the deadline. Salt Lake Tribune

Job Fair at American Fork Employment Center

2012-02-02T07:52:00.004-07:00

Come to the American Fork Employment Center on Wednesday, February 15, from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.

Bring your résumé and be prepared to talk to hiring representatives about customer and sales representative positions.

For more information, click picture to enlarge>

Solar array will generate power, business for Salt Palace Convention Center

2012-02-02T07:46:00.001-07:00

A new solar energy array atop the Salt Palace Convention Center is growing by 200 panels a day and will produce about 17 percent of the convention center's energy once completed this spring.

The 1.65 megawatt solar array is promoted as the largest in Utah and will cover 198,000 square feet when finished, about the size of five football fields.

Its functions include turning sunlight into energy — and business. Deseret News

Wind energy firm declares bankruptcy

2012-02-01T12:09:00.002-07:00

An anticipated multi-million dollar investment in wind energy infrastructure in northern San Juan County has been put on hold, possibly indefinitely.

Blue Mountain Wind planned to begin with a 79.5 megawatt wind farm on nearly 7,000 acres of private land in the Tarb area northeast of Monticello. The company indicated that the project could have grown to 150 megawatts in the future.

Officials state that while the Blue Mountain Wind project may be viable in the long run, it is back to the drawing board at the current time. San Juan Record

More Goldfish mean more jobs for Cache County

2012-02-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

It seems that Pepperidge Farm needs more space to make cheesy goldfish snacks. So it is planning to invest $44 million and add jobs as it expands its plant near Richmond, in Cache Valley. The investment will be used to reconfigure the facility and add a third Goldfish production line.

The new line will boost production by around 30 million pounds a year, doubling the poundage of Goldfish produced. And that means the plant, which has been in operation for 38 years, will be adding as many as 54 workers to the plant's current workforce of 385. Salt Lake Tribune

In-home preschool option combines technology, early learning

2012-02-01T08:19:00.006-07:00

UPSTART, an in-home pilot program geared toward 4-year-olds, was created by the Legislature in 2009. It hinges on software developed by Salt Lake City's Waterford Institute and focuses on literacy and math, helping to lay foundations for learning before kids enter school and has reached more than 3,000 homes since it began.

Claudia Miner, vice president for development at the institute, said UPSTART can level the playing field for early education in the state. While most preschools are privately run and charge tuition, UPSTART is state-funded. What's more, it's geared toward low-income families, so if a family can't afford a computer to run the software, the state will loan them one. Deseret News

Utah lawmakers aim to resolve online sales-tax issue

2012-02-01T07:33:00.004-07:00

Brick-and-mortar businesses generally contend that the fact they must collect a sales tax puts them at a competitive disadvantage with online retailers who don’t.

For more than a decade, one Utah lawmaker has wrestled with the dilemma of how to collect tax from online sales. Utah residents are required to self-report and remit their uncollected sales tax on their annual state tax returns. However, few do because there is no enforcement mechanism. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah businesses receive statewide, local awards

2012-02-01T07:20:00.002-07:00

Several Utah companies have been named the recipients of statewide and community business awards.

Industrial Supply Co. of Salt Lake City, given by Associated General Contractors of Utah, an organization of qualified construction contractors and industry related companies dedicated to skill, integrity, and responsibility.
Mity-Lite Inc. of Orem, given by Utah Manufacturers Association, whose mission is to enhance the business climate of Utah.
Candle Warmers Etc., given by the Davis County Chamber of Commerce, who offers its members an unparalleled opportunity to invest in the community as well as their own future success.

Salt Lake Tribune

Provo women earn some of the lowest salaries in the largest U.S. Metropolitan Areas

2012-01-31T13:34:00.001-07:00

Women in Provo have some of the lowest average salaries in the country, according to a Forbes analysis of the 2010 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Provo women are making on average less than $37,000 a year, according to the report. Provo women are making on average less than $37,000 a year, according to the report. Deseret News

Note:
Since I am interested in women's labor force issues and don't usually look at this type of data below the statewide level, I took the opportunity to look at the actual Forbes article. Forbes used 2010 American Community Survey data for "large" Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and focused on females working year-round and full-time. Unfortunately for comparative purposes, Forbes doesn't tell us what they considered a large MSA.

With median female earnings for year-round, full-time workers of $31,400, the Provo/Orem MSA ranks 249 out of 374 MSAs nationwide. Incidentally, the "smaller" MSAs of Logan and St. George showed lower female median earnings ($27,100 and $26,700, respectively). Other large Utah MSAs appear higher in the rankings--Salt Lake ranks 154, while the Ogden/Clearfield MSA ranks in the 200 spot.

However, keep in mind that areas with low female earnings might also have low earnings for both genders. In other words, an MSA's low female earnings may be reflected in low male earnings as well. Cost of living, age of the labor force, industrial mix, etc. affects wages generally. . .not just for women. In my mind, the true question perhaps should be: How do men and women's earnings compare in Utah's most populous communities?

In 2010, U.S. median earnings for women working year-round, full-time measured 78.6 percent of the comparable male figure. (This wage gap has contracted decidedly in recent decades.) How do Utah's MSAs stack up? Honestly, not so great. The Ogden/Clearfield MSA shows a female/male wage ratio of 63 percent, the Provo/Orem MSA shows 65 percent ratio. Logan's ratio measures 70 percent, and St. George's figure is 71 percent. Even in Utah's best MSA performer--Salt Lake City--the female median wage measures only 74 percent of the male median wage. More than 70 percent of the nation's MSAs show female/male wage ratios better than Salt Lake City.

What's up? Why the low female-to-male wage rations in Utah? Undoubtedly many factors come into play. However, one major influence on the large difference in wages seems to come to the forefront. I call it the "education gap" and it is a primary factor behind Utah's larger-than-average wage gap. Statistically, there is a well-know relationship behind one's earnings and one's education. In general, the higher a person's level of education, the higher their earnings.

What's the education gap? By my reckoning, it is simply the percentage point difference between the share of the male population (over 25) with at least a Bachelor's degree and the share of the female population (over 25) with at least a Bachelor's degree. Nationally, there is a six-tenths of a point difference in the share of men and women with at least a Bachelor's degree (28.5 percent and 27.9 percent, respectively). In other words, in the U.S. there is currently very little difference between the share of men and women with a four-year degree or better.

The three MSAs with the largest male/female education gap in the nation? Number 1--Provo/Orem, Utah (11.3 percentage points). Neck and Neck for the number 2 spot--St. George, Utah (9.8 percentage points) and Ogden/Clearfield, UT (9.8 percentage points). Logan's performance is somewhat better--"only" a 4.2 point difference. The Salt Lake MSA managed the smallest Utah education gap--still large at 2.5 percentage points. Every single Utah MSA ranked among the 20 percent of MSAs with the largest education gaps.

Keep in mind that in 40 percent of the nation's Metropolitan Statistical Areas, a higher percentage of women have obtained a Bachelor's degree than have men. If Utah's women are falling far behind men in educational attainment, it should come as no surprise that they are falling far behind men in earnings.

Plans for Fairview city hall expansion

2012-01-31T09:28:00.005-07:00

Plans to renovate, enlarge and incorporate Fairview's city hall and library are in the planning hopper and moving forward. The plans have been in the works for the past year while funding was put into place.

The current library building , which also houses the bookmobile, will be removed to make room for the expansion project. A new library facility will be in the basement of the new city hall addition, giving patrons a library two and one-half sizes bigger. Sanpete Pyramid

New 3rd Quarter LMI Indicators for 9 counties available

2012-01-31T09:28:00.004-07:00

3rd Quarter Nonfarm Employment for Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Uintah and Weber counties are available online.

For other counties, click here and choose the county you wish to view. Each link is under "Just Released" on the right hand side.

S.R. 224 may expand to accommodate increasing traffic

2012-01-31T08:23:00.002-07:00

According to Kent Wilkerson of the Summit County Engineering Department, the county is working closely with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to create a master transportation plan with long term solutions to solve the growing traffic problems in the area.

UDOT spokesperson Mindy Nelson said so far, UDOT has only done the conceptual work for S.R. 224 but does have improvement plans in mind based on population growth projections. Wilkerson said he expects additional lanes to be added to S.R. 224 by 2015. Park Record

Location: State Road 224

Corporate expansions creating demand for office space

2012-01-31T08:05:00.005-07:00

James Lee Sorenson, manager of Sorenson Group Management, is building one of at least four multi-tenant office buildings that are under construction totaling more than 481,000 square feet of space. There is also the Old Mill IV in Cottonwood Heights, The Interchange in Draper and The Gateway 6, a building in downtown Salt Lake City that is fully leased even before it’s completed.

Sorenson isn’t alone in his optimism about the Wasatch Front’s office sector, which driven by corporate expansions seems to be in the midst of a turnaround after slumping during the downturn. This is following job growth, where Utah has remained in the top five among all states for some time.

Although office vacancies along the Wasatch Front remain high, they are at their lowest rate in three years, according to the Salt Lake City office of commercial brokerage CBRE.

Salt Lake Tribune

Solera announces financing from Intel Capital

2012-01-31T07:52:00.004-07:00

The raised $20 million will be used to support the company's sales, marketing and product development. The company will add 40 people to its 60 person staff by the end of the year. About 28 of the new positions will be in sales and marketing, said Steve Shillingford, Solera's chief executive officer, in a telephone interview.

Solera uses security technology to collect, index and classify network traffic. This provides a full view of what is happening and can predict any potential security threats. Deseret News

No changes yet in store for Utah’s Medicaid applicants

2012-01-30T14:21:00.004-07:00

Efforts by the Utah Department of Workforce Services to remedy problems with the current system for determining who is eligible for the low-income health program show promise.

In 2007, lawmakers consolidated applications for low-income health, food and welfare programs, transferring control of Medicaid eligibility to Workforce Services. The merger happened on the eve of the recession, as Medicaid rolls swelled with the unemployed, and amid a $79 million overhaul of the state’s public aid case management system.

With that, and a steep learning curve, behind them, Workforce Services is now poised to reap the benefits of consolidation. Salt Lake Tribune

Ending poverty's cycle

2012-01-30T13:58:00.002-07:00

Senator Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, has sponsored legislation that would require the Department of Workforce Services to gather existing data on people who have fallen into a condition one might describe as chronic poverty. They are people who rely on public assistance, as did their parents and possibly their grandparents, following a generational pattern.

Existing data shows roughly a third of all people who accept government assistance fall into this group. The other two-thirds are victims of situational poverty, brought on by a job loss, a medical problem or other factors. Deseret News

South Salt Lake faces new Granite High choices

2012-01-30T11:07:00.005-07:00

South Salt Lake faces a June 30 deadline to buy the former Granite High after voters in November rejected a $25 million bond by five votes. Residents remain sharply divided about whether to spend tax dollars on the deal. But if the lease expires, the city would lose nearly $500,000 already invested in the historic school.

The city has long suffered from a condensed sales-tax base, sullied by sewage-treatment plants, Salt Lake County jails, freeways, bus barns, light-rail garages and other properties that don’t fill the public purse.
Salt Lake Tribune

Utah construction jobs growing but behind national curve

2012-01-30T07:55:00.004-07:00

Construction jobs in Utah are 39 percent off the state's pre-recession peak in 2007, but the numbers are gradually improving with a growth rate of 2.5 percent during the past year, according to a contractors trade group monitoring the rates.

Residential contractors in Utah have been stuck behind a backlog of homes already on the market. "The issue now with residential is the inventory," said John Mathews, an economist with the Department of Workforce Services. "We have to clear the inventory before we can move on." Deseret News

Utah births still declining

2012-01-30T07:46:00.001-07:00

The official 2011 tally from state health officials is not yet available. But three major hospital chains — which together welcome most of Utah’s babies — say their delivery numbers remained flat or continued to drop. Utah, long home to the nation’s highest fertility rate, reached its zenith in 2008 with 55,605 newborns. But statewide births have slowed every year since then, with 52,164 counted in 2010.

The drop has widely been attributed, at least in part, to the lingering impact of the recession. Salt Lake Tribune

Note: I've added a chart showing recent Utah birth data from the Utah Department of Health. If past history holds true (i.e. the Great Depression), the declining number of births in Utah may indeed have a recession-related component. However, it may also reveal a demographic element. You'll notice that the last dip in Utah births occurred in roughly 1982 to 1987. (A second echo of the baby bust of the Great Depression and WWII.) Women born during those years are now in their prime child-bearing years. In other words, fewer women, fewer births.

Utah hotel occupancy, rates up slightly

2012-01-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Utah occupancy and average daily room rate for hotels and motels were both up slightly in 2011. According to the Utah edition of the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report, the 2011 occupancy rate was 62.7 percent, up from 59.7 percent in 2010.

The average daily room rate for the year to date was $95.69, compared to $93.29 for 2010. Revenue per daily room rose as well, from $55.70 in 2010 compared to $60.04 for 2011. Salt Lake City recorded the best in 2011, with a 69.6 percent occupancy rate and average daily room rate of $93.65.

Ogden occupancy was at 60.7 percent, Cedar City at 53 percent, St. George at 60.1 percent, Logan and Utah County at 58.1 percent, and other Utah cities and towns at 61.2 percent. Salt Lake Tribune

Getting the most out of a job fair

2012-01-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Simply attending a career fair does not guarantee landing a job. So, a little preparation could help tip the hiring odds in your favor. The Internet offers a range of information and useful tips about attending a career fair. Here are several useful sites:

Bankrate.com » Contains insights on preparing for a career fair, how to dress and what you might expect once you arrive, at http://bit.ly/xrcJNx

The Career Place » Spotlights how to make the most of a job fair experience, with tips on preparation and following up, at www.careerplace.org/tips/jobfair.htm

EmploymentGuide.com » Covers making the most of a career fair — before, during and after — at http://bit.ly/vMu0A

Jobs & Careers » Provides advice on how to land a job at a career fair, at http://bit.ly/zfnjpC

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Salt Lake Tribune

Retail sector stages a comeback in Utah

2012-01-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Among retailers arriving in Utah this year: Utah’s first Tiffany & Co. and Michael Kors shops are coming to the City Creek Center shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City; the state’s first humongous Scheels sporting goods store will open in Sandy, with a 65-foot-tall Ferris wheel and a 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium inside; and several smaller chains, such as Johnny Rockets hamburger restaurant, will open in Farmington in the Station Park shopping center.

Scores of new tenants are moving into formerly “dark” stores emptied during the recession, bringing new life to shopping centers and malls along the Wasatch Front. In Layton, Dick’s Sporting Goods is operating in a long-vacant Meryvn’s location at Layton Hills Mall. In Centerville, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft is moving into a spot left empty by Roberts Arts & Crafts. In South Jordan, thrift store chain Savers has claimed another former Roberts location.

There’s also the new-to-Utah phenomenon. Chains of all sizes, including The Container Store, a retailer of storage items, and The Habit, a growing hamburger chain, are out scouting for space for their debuts. They join other chains that recently opened their first Utah locations, including home decor chain Crate & Barrel; apparel store H&M, which opened in Fashion Place Mall; and Marshalls, which opened in the Station Park shopping center in Farmington.

Salt Lake Tribune

New Retailer to open in Red Cliffs Mall

2012-01-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Red Cliffs Mall announced that White House/Black Market will open at the shopping center in early summer 2012. The 3,300-square-foot store is located near Barnes & Noble.The national specialty retailer offers women's clothing, jewelry, handbags and shoes. The Spectrum

DWS Employment Center Changes

2012-01-27T10:12:00.004-07:00

On Wednesday, February 15, 2012, the Downtown Employment Center will close.

DWS services are offered throughout the downtown area:

DWS Metro Employment Center
The Road Home Shelter – 210 South Rio Grande Street
Online at http://jobs.utah.gov

Between Wednesday, February 29, and Friday, March 2, 2012 the DWS American Fork Employment Center will be closing and the

NEW Lehi Employment Center will be opening.

DWS services are offered throughout the Utah County Area at:

American Fork Employment Center (tentative close date - February 29, 2012)
Lehi Employment Center (tentative open date - March 2, 2012)
557 West State Street
Lehi, UT 84043
Provo Employment Center
Spanish Fork Employment Center
Online at http://jobs.utah.gov

Refer to our Employment Center map for other offices near you.

Utah ranks among states with the least credit card debt

2012-01-27T09:27:00.001-07:00

Americans cut down their credit card debt by 11 percent last year, compared to 2010, according to a new report by Credit Karma. 24/7 Wall St. looked at the average credit card debt owed by the residents of each state to determine the five states with the most and the least debt as of December 2011.

According to this report, Utah ranked number four among states with the least debt:

Utah

Credit card debt: $5,816
Median household income: $54,744 (13th highest)
Average credit score: 673 (5th highest)
Cost of living: 5th lowest

Utah is relatively wealthy, with a median household income of nearly $55,000. Despite this, the cost of living in the state is the fifth-lowest in the country. With high incomes and a low cost of living, Utahns maintain conservative personal debt, illustrated by their fifth-highest average credit score. 24/7 Wall St.

Note:
Hold on! Utah is relatively wealthy? Can this be true? Like most people, we Utahns tend to focus on the negative. . .our lower-than-average wages, low per capita income, etc. However, 24//7 Wall St. is correct. Utah does have the 13th highest state median household income in the U.S. according to the American Community Survey. Utah's median family income ($54,744) measures notably higher than the U.S. median income ($50,046). We don't fare quite so well in the median family income rankings--22nd. But, Utah's median family income ($61,618) still measures above the national figure ($60,609).

Utah's unusual demographics are behind the seeming dichotomy between lower-than-average per capita incomes and wages. We have the highest share of population in the country under the age of 18 (with little or no income) which dilutes are per capita income figures. Location, cost-of-living, industrial mix, and lots of young workers also tend to skew our average wages to the low end.

What keeps Utah's family and household incomes higher than average? Utah families and households do tend to have more workers per household than households nationally. Plus, Utah's income distribution with fewer households at the high and low end of the income scale than the U.S. generally likely contributes to Utah's relatively good income standing.

Green Team turns 100 tons of trash into treasure

2012-01-27T09:07:00.004-07:00

When the Carbon County Green Team first came together in 2009, the options for recycling in Carbon County were not plentiful. Now three years later, the numbers show recycling is growing among county residents, leaving Green Team members searching for more recycling opportunities in the area. While Green Team members believed residents in Carbon County would embrace the idea of recycling, they didn't think the notion of recycling would take off as it has over time.

While the work is still ongoing to get funding through grants and other similar means, local Price resident Loren Unsworth said the goal is to get a baler which would allow for the Green Team to start accepting plastic and cardboard. Sun Advocate

Prices aren’t mirroring uptick in home sales

2012-01-27T08:56:00.003-07:00

A report released Thursday by the Salt Lake Board of Realtors shows that the Wasatch Front’s housing recovery has yet to extend to home values. Rising home sales are a sign of recovery in the housing sector, and the latest results represent the highest level of single-family home sales for a fourth quarter in four years.

But another key component of a housing recovery — home prices — still aren’t budging upward in most areas in Salt Lake County and elsewhere along the Wasatch Front.
Salt Lake Tribune

Better? Barely - Trendlines article

2012-01-27T08:46:00.006-07:00

The national economy is going into the 2012 year as the engine that might. The last few months of the year saw many economists predicting a noticeable stumble in the U.S. economy, only to have the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) perform better than they expected. It wasn’t stellar U.S. GDP performance, but it did beat the gloomy predictions.
Read more...

Utah County has high hopes for new $41M convention center

2012-01-27T08:40:00.003-07:00

Later this spring, the five-level facility will be hosting corporate conventions, but it will also give consumer shows, auto shows, bridal fairs and larger community events a place to meet.

The $41 million convention center is owned by Utah County and is being paid for with a bond.

The new state of the art and environmentally friendly building is a dream come true for elected leaders, who believe it will add $18 million to the economy every year and will bring new jobs to the area. Deseret News

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

2012-01-26T12:28:00.005-07:00

The latest Unemployment Insurance (UI) Weekly Claims Report is now available from the US Department of Labor. The 4-week moving average of nationwide initial claims has decreased from the revised number of 380,000 last week to 377,500 this week.

The report dated 26 January 2012 reflects our unemployment numbers for week-ending 21 January 2011. During this week, 2,654 initial claims were filed in Utah compared to 3,265 the prior week. The numbers listed below are based on the 4-week moving average.

3,133 initial UI claims filed (increase of 1 from the prior week and decrease of 840 from same week in 2011).
25,426 continued UI weeks claimed (increase of 834 from the prior week and decrease of 4,398 from same week in 2011).
12,646 continued EUC08 weeks claimed (increase of 119 from the prior week and decrease of 4,108 from same week in 2011).

Potash Development in Dry Valley looks promising

2012-01-26T09:20:00.007-07:00

A huge potash deposit was discovered years ago when extensive drilling for oil, gas and uranium was taking place in the Anticline Overlook area of Dry Valley. K2O has promised that all company offices and support operations will be located in Monticello, a huge stimulus to the local economy. San Juan Record

Salt Lake City finds path to Sugar House revival

2012-01-26T08:58:00.005-07:00

Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency has bought a vacant 30-foot-wide parcel that hugs the west end of the so-called “Sugar Hole,” with a vision to create a permanent public pathway expected to lure pedestrians and resurrect the area’s street life.

The mid-block crossing, stretching from 2100 South (at 1078 East) south to a soon-to-be-created “Elm Street,” will have benches, trees and storefronts lining both sides. Negotiations played out privately for months before the City Council, sitting as the Rockwood Investment Associates Board, closed the deal in a 6-0 vote earlier this month.

On the other side of the 30-foot-wide plaza, developer Craig Mecham plans to fill the vacant corner of 2100 South and Highland Drive with 204 apartments atop 44,000 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces as well as three levels of underground parking. The ground-level shops and eateries would front Highland Drive and 2100 South. Salt Lake Tribune

Location: Sugar House

December 2011 County-level Unemployment Rate Estimates Released

2012-01-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

The Utah Department of Workforce Services has just released county-level unemployment rate estimates for December. Most counties are following the statewide trend of declining joblessness. Between December 2010 and December 2011, the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate decreased by 1.5 percentage points. Eight counties--Juab, Beaver, Duchesne, Uintah, Daggett, Box Elder, Wasatch, and Sanpete--experienced rate declines of 2.0 points or better. Only two counties showed increasing levels of unemployment--Wayne and Garfield counties. Wayne County's current unemployment woes can be traced primarily to the closure of the county's largest employer--Aspen Education Group.

Currently, the areas with the highest jobless rates include San Juan, Wayne, Garfield, Grand, and Washington counties--all located in the southern part of the state. Counties with the lowest unemployment rates include Unitah, Cache, Daggett, Millard, and Rich counties--nearly all of which are located either in the Uintah Basin or in the northern part of the state. As you can see from the map, with a few exceptions this geographic unemployment divide holds true.

You can download the December rates from the graphic or access them in pdf format by clicking here.

Antelope Causeway getting attention

2012-01-25T08:47:00.010-07:00

A contract should be awarded next month to repave and upgrade the county-owned road, said County Public Works Director Kirk Schmalz. Engineering work done several years ago divided the eight-mile causeway into eight sections, with judgments made on where the waves typically would be the highest and most damaging. Large rocks, riprap or commercial metal products could be used to provide protection against the wave breakup and erosion, Schmalz said. The Davis Clipper

Affordable housing reexamined in Summit County

2012-01-25T08:30:00.006-07:00

According to Mountainlands Community Housing Trust Director Scott Loomis, a committee has been formed by the Summit County Council that includes residents and Summit County planning staff that is charged with creating a new needs assessment survey to identify specific housing needs in the area. Based on the previous survey, the County Council began requiring all new developments to provide workforce housing. But Loomis said that the old survey may have misidentified what kind of affordable housing was needed.

According to Loomis, there are currently 575 affordable housing units that have been approved and an additional 152 affordable housing units that are in the process of being built as part of the Boyer Research Park at Kimball Junction. ParkRecord

$10 million in Federal Funds received for SR-14

2012-01-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

After receiving $10 million in emergency federal dollars to reconstruct state Route 14, which was destroyed in a landslide in October, the Utah Department of Transportation is estimating opening the route for travel by July 4 at the earliest. The Spectrum

Plans for proposed dinosaur park move closer to reality

2012-01-24T14:23:00.004-07:00

The proposed Moab Giants Dinosaur Park, slated for construction at the intersection of U.S. 191 and state Route 313, will include life-size dinosaur displays located along outdoor walking trails, an indoor museum and research facilities for scientists, developers told during a public hearing this week.

The applicants received approval for the project’s water and septic systems at the end of 2011 and Horrocks Engineers, which provides engineering services to Grand County, approved the project’s storm-water drainage system, according to documents provided by the Grand County planning commission. The Times-Independent

Major motion picture studio coming to Utah

2012-01-24T13:22:00.005-07:00

Summit County and Park City officials have reached an agreement that would bring Raleigh Studios, a major motion picture studio, to Quinn's Junction, east of Park City. The deal, which has been five years in the making, also includes a hotel and entertainment center.

Greg Ericksen, a principal with developer Quinn's Junction Partnership, which is teaming with Raleigh Studios to develop and manage the facility, said he believes the new studio will help keep local talent in Utah. Deseret News

Job Fair - Onsight Recruitment

2012-01-24T11:14:00.003-07:00

Clearfield Employment Center is hosting a Job Fair, Thursday, February 2nd from 10 AM to Noon.

Positions available for all skill levels from entry level to management.

Bring your résumé and arrive early, no appointment needed.

Logan plans to straighten road, install light at troublesome intersection

2012-01-24T10:06:00.003-07:00

According to current plans, the south leg of the intersection will be extended, and the north leg will be realigned with 600 East. The city plans to put the existing north leg of the intersection into landscaping, says Mark Nielsen, Logan public works director. The Herald Journal

Dixie State board approves computer science degree

2012-01-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Members of the Dixie State College Board of Trustees voted Monday to approve the new four-year computer science degree as part of the school's offerings to new and current students. This computer science bachelor's degree is an opportunity for current Dixie students who want to focus their computer-related interests into a central area of study. The Spectrum

Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report

2012-01-23T15:38:00.008-07:00

The latest Unemployment Insurance (UI) Weekly Claims Report is now available from the US Department of Labor. The 4-week moving average of nationwide initial claims has decreased from the revised number of 382,500 last week to 374,000 this week.The report dated 11 January 2012 reflects our unemployment numbers for week-ending 7 January 2012. During this week, 3,893 initial claims were filed in Utah compared to 2,470 the prior week.

(Click to Enlarge)

The above chart tracks weeks claimed for regular Utah UI claims. It is not a measure of new claims opened, but rather weekly benefits claimed on existing claims. Weeks are numbered along the bottom. It does not include extended benefit claims. Two observations are suggested. One is that UI claims are affected by the seasons, and made more frequently in the winter (ends) than during the summer (middle). The other is that although we are at a much higher level of unemployment claims being made than 2006-2007, we are moving in the right direction since the crest of 2009.

Central Utah economic recovery lags

2012-01-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

New job counts for the third quarter of 2011 show the five counties in the central Utah area (Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne) lagging behind the state's economic recovery. The year-to-year change in nonfarm employment provides the best insight into a local area's economic well-being. Unfortunately, this indicator suggests that these central Utah economies have yet to fully embrace expansion and in some cases even recovery.

(Click to Enlarge)

Millard County
Millard County's most recent employment numbers are obscured by the completion of a large construction project. This development inflated the county's job numbers in 2010 only to deflate them in 2011. As of September 2011, Millard County showed a 3-percent year-to-year decrease in nonfarm jobs. Of course, one year earlier the county's total employment had skyrocketed 8 percent. Behind both the past gain and the current decline appears that large building project (wind farm). In fact, if one excludes the 200-job loss of temporary construction jobs, the county would have actually experienced an employment gain of almost 2 percent. The only notable job loss occurred in construction, while mining, manufacturing, retail trade, professional/business services, and private education/health/social services all generated moderate employment increases. Click here for Millard County's Current Economic Snapshot.

Piute County
Unlike most Utah counties, Piute County has not experienced any job growth since the recession began--although it did show one month of no change. Fortunately, the rate of decline has moderated. Its September 2011 year-over job loss measured 3 percent compared to 15 percent during the worst month of the recession. Fortunately, a large percentage of workers already commute outside the county for employment purposes mitigating some of the current malaise. The most recent 9-job decline occurred primarily at the hands of construction and trade/transportation/utilities. Some meager growth is apparent in service-related industries. However, with four additional jobs, the public sector proved the largest contributor of that new employment. You can find Piute County's Current Economic Snapshot by clicking here.

Sanpete County
Lagging far behind both Utah and the nation, Sanpete County just barely edged into job-growth territory in the third quarter of 2011. While the current gains appear modest, they certainly suggest the county is headed in the right direction. Between September 2010 and September 2011, Sanpete County's nonfarm jobs grew by 1 percent--a net increase of nearly 70 jobs. Many industries remain in the job-loser column--notably construction, transportation, information, financial activities, and the public sector. On the other side of the ledger, private education/health/social services and leisure/hospitality services generated very strong gains along with a little help from their friends manufacturing, wholesale trade,and mining. Now that Sanpete has crossed the border into expansion, it should continue to show an improving job market. Click here for the Current Economic Snapshot for Sanpete county.

Sevier County
As the recovery progressed in 2010, Sevier County job-growth rate was running neck-and-neck with the Utah economy--a great sign for a rural economy. However, by mid-2011 the job situation took a turn for the worse. The county's employment is still growing, but September-to-September jobs increased by a mere 0.2 percent. Interestingly, the two industries showing the largest job hits--construction and retail trade--were also suffering in the third quarter of 2010. Plus, no industry really experienced a deterioration in job totals. What happened? A year earlier, private education/health/social services was growing at a very rapid rate. Currently, that industry is still growing; but the rate of growth has dropped from 12 percent to less than 1 percent. Fortunately, other industries continue to add jobs at a healthy rate. Mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and transportation all generated significant numbers of new positions. For the Sevier County Current Economic Snapshot, click here.

Wayne County
Of all the counties in central Utah, Wayne County currently faces the largest economic challenge. The shutdown of the county's largest employer leaves the county with a September 2010 to September 2011 job loss of more than 11 percent--almost 130 jobs. Not surprisingly, the majority of job loss occurs in the industrial category which includes CRC Health Group's Aspen programs. Growth in the county's leisure/hospitality services offset some of the closure job losses. However, most industries showed little employment change over the past year. Click here for Wayne County's Current Economic Snapshot.

BYU Bookstore lays off 29 employees

2012-01-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

Facing financial losses, the BYU Bookstore laid off 29 employees on Friday. The campus bookstore is a self-sustaining business, meaning it does not get university funds or support from student tuition. All were in non-student positions. Salt Lake Tribune

Employers - Workforce Solutions

2012-01-20T13:39:00.005-07:00

Meeting your workforce needs just got easier.

Find out how the Department of Workforce Services can help you.

Employer Orientation is Thursday, February 2nd at the Provo Employment Center.

For more information click on the flyer>>