The Labor Market in Utah

What kinds of work are most widely available in the various states inside the U.S. are impacted by factors such as climate, population, ease of travel, industry facilities, and others. While some work opportunities remain similar across all states, such as healthcare and transportation, others like hospitality and tourism or big tech may differ widely. States that offer an array of well-paying job opportunities may have their pick of workers, while other states may try to attract workers with other incentives like lower price tags on higher education or lower cost of living.1 However, whether people can travel or move to pursue different kinds of work depends on the individual and their circumstances, such as family, mobility, savings, education level, and ability to enter the existing industry. For many workers, especially young ones, relocating to pursue different kinds of work in a new state can often be an attractive prospect. But many other workers wish to stay close to their families or communities. In some states, that means that the labor market becomes more competitive as more people apply for a small number of jobs, which can tilt power towards employers to set wages and working conditions. The availability of certain types of work can play a major role in statewide population growth or decline.

This topic in Utah

The Utah History Encyclopedia documents how, in Utah’s early days as first a territory and then a state, most work was agricultural, with over 50% of the state’s population employed in this sector.1 Most of the rest were in goods production, such as manufacturing. Matters changed drastically with the introduction of the railroad and the telegraph in the 1860s: these innovations created more transportation and communications work and also connected Utah with the markets and businesses of other states.2 Historically, jobs in Utah have often involved production (e.g. mining) and transportation (e.g. railroads). Since the mid-1900s, hospitality and tourism have also become big, thanks to winter sports like skiing but also to Utah’s natural beauty and proximity to other natural wonders like national parks.3

Today, healthcare and life sciences are the biggest employers in Utah.4 Utah healthcare organizations such as the University of Utah’s medical school and Intermountain Healthcare are known for providing world-class healthcare and also for leading the field in medical research.  Additionally, big tech is also moving to Utah through innovative local startups,5 the “Silicon Slopes” phenomenon centered in Lehi,6 and international corporations like Amazon moving warehouses or data centers to the area.7 In recent years, Utah’s technology sector is estimated to employ one in seven people who work in the state,8 though things were reported to be finally cooling down in 2024.9 Utah has worked to facilitate job searching too. State agencies offer the “Hot Jobs” homepage from the Department of Workforce Services,10 the Job Seekers resource list from the same agency,11 and the government jobs page from the Utah Division of Human Resource Management.12