Utah's unemployment rate in February increased to 3.2 percent from 3.1 percent in January, the second consecutive slight increase.
Lecia Parks Langston, chief economist for the Utah Department of Employment Security, said that although unemployment in Utah increased in the first two months of the year, Utah still is 2.3 percentage points below the national average.In February, about 32,000 Utahns were out of work - 4,400 fewer than in February 1995 when the state's unemployment stood at 3.7 percent.
"With an economy as strong as Utah's, this recent slight rise in unemployment is hardly a worry. In fact, the state could use some time to catch its breath from the almost break-neck pace of growth experienced during the past two years," she said.
Langston said although wage increases have begun to help ease the recent short-term labor shortage, Utah's labor market remains very tight.
Between February 1995 and February 1996, 48,700 new jobs were added, a 5.3 percent rate that is triple the national average, she said.