WORKFORCE UTAH’S DYNAMIC ECONOMY IS AMONG THE NATION’S LEADERS FOR GENERATING JOB GROWTH. The state’s 2006 employment growth of
5.2 percent was second highest in the U.S. and nearly four times the national growth rate of 1.4 percent. (See also the Quality of Life profile in this volume.) Two primary advantages for employers in Utah are the quality of the state’s growing workforce and the dynamic nature of Utah’s economy. Leaders of numerous companies that have relocated headquarters or other major operations to Utah in recent years have commonly reported productivity increases of 15 to 30 percent, which they attribute to the work ethic, qualifications and good health of the state’s populace. Utah has one of the healthiest populations in the U.S., according to recent health statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The most recent edition (2005) of the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings found Utah to be the fourth healthiest state in the United States, with the country’s lowest prevalence of smoking and the lowest incidence of cancer-related deaths. Utahns enjoy the third longest life expectancy in the nation, at 78.6 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The technology savvy of Utah’s workforce is evident in the fact that the state ranks third in the nation in the Kauffman Foundation’s 2007 State New Economy Index. A 2005 U.S. Census Bureau study found Utah to be the No. 1 state in the U.S. for PC Penetration, with a personal computer in 74.1 percent of all Utah households. Utah enjoys a high literacy rate and ranks second in the nation in the percentage of students that finish high school. (See the Education profile in this book.) Utah’s poverty rate of 9.2 percent in 2005 was the lowest in the Mountain West, and tied for sixth lowest in the nation.
5.2% HIGHLIGHTS
Utah’s job growth was 5.2 percent in 2006, second in the U.S. Utah is a right-to-work state, with only about 6 percent of employees affiliated with unions. Intermountain Healthcare is Utah’s largest private employer. Utah ranks fourth nationally for the overall health of its workforce, according to the United Health Foundation. Utah’s unemployment rate for March 2007 was 2.4 percent, compared to the national rate of 4.4 percent.
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UTAH FACTS 2008
