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Show Nonagricultural Employment (Number of Jobs in Thousands) Table 10 Unemployment Rate Year Utah Mountain US 1985 1989 1990 growth1 1985-90 624 691 723 3.0 5,111 5,621 5,814 2.6 97,519 108,413 110,321 2.5 1 Average annual growth rate from 1985 to 1990. Source: Utah State Economic Coordinating Committee. (1992). Economic Report to the Governor 1992. Salt Lake City: Author, p. 101. Utah's non-agricultural employment steadily increased from 1985 through 1990 (Table 10). This same growth pattern also occurred in the Intermountain Region and the U.S. Between 1985 and 1990 Utah's growth rate was higher than the nation's and the Intermountain Region's. Employment growth is important for health considerations in the U.S. because as persons become employed, they also are likely to become insured through the work-place. Whether employment growth is keeping up with population growth becomes an important question in assessing access to health care. Table 11 Year Utah Mountain US 1985 5.9 6.8 7.1 1989 4.6 5.5 5.2 1990 4.3 5.2 5.4 1991 5.0 (preliminary) Source: Utah State Economic Coordinating Committee. (1992). Economic Report to the Governor 1992. Salt Lake City: Author, p. 101; 1991 data, p. 34. Utah's rate of unemployment has been below the nation's and that of the Intermountain Region since 1985 (Table 11, Figure 10). Interestingly, the Intermountain Region's rate of unemployment has declined at a pace similar to Utah's rate, although the total rate is higher. These data reflect Utah's good economic position in relationship to other states. What these data do not reflect, however, is Utah's wage structure compared to other states. The proportion of people working in Utah may be higher than the nation's, but they may still be struggling economically because of low wages and large families. Figure 10 Unemployment Rate 12 DEMOGRAPHICS |
