By Jasen Lee | KSL
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has more jobs available than it has people to fill them.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported this week there are fewer than three workers for every four jobs in the Beehive State, the fifth-lowest ratio of job seekers to open positions in the United States. The data analysis revealed a historically tight labor market for employers that is creating an increasing hazard for the state’s long-term economic growth.
The report indicated there were an average of 81,333 jobs available per month in Utah during the 12-month period ending June 2019 — the latest month for which state-level data was available — with a monthly average of just 57,071 workers available to fill them. The state’s Worker Availability Ratio (available workers per open position) of 0.7 registered as the fifth-lowest in the country for the period. North Dakota registered the lowest at 0.51.
