While Utah’s unemployment rate rose by one tenth of a percent in August, Tooele County’s unemployment rate remained flat, according to the Department of Workforce Services.
The county’s unemployment rate in August was 4.1 percent, according to preliminary monthly employment figures for Utah’s counties released by the DWS last week.
Tooele County’s unemployment rate for June and July was also 4.1 percent, according to the DWS report.
The state’s unemployment rate for August was 3.7 percent, up a tenth of a percent from July.
“The economy is such a dynamic system that it is really no surprise to see small movements from one month to the next,” reported Carrie Mayne, chief economist for DWS. “Utah’s economy is still operating at full employment, with strong job growth across diverse industries.”
The number of non-farm- related jobs in Tooele County has remained nearly the same for the last three months.
However, the county ended June with 10 more local jobs compared to June 2014. That was the first reported increase in local jobs since August 2011.
The job count for Tooele County was down 17 jobs in July 2015 compared to July 2014. However, the total job count for August 2015 placed Tooele County up 28 jobs from August 2014, a 0.2 percent growth.
Local officials hope the county will see more job growth through 2015.
At last week’s open house for Cabela’s new distribution center, Randy Sant, Tooele City’s economic development consultant, said the 680,000-square-foot former Reckitt Benckiser warehouse that Cabela’s was renting has been shown to several prospective tenants.
Tooele County is also one of three finalists for a company that wants to build a 750,000-square-foot warehouse, he said.
“Tooele County has a lot to offer in terms of space, workforce, transportation access, and educational opportunities,” Sant said.
Tooele County’s labor force for August consisted of 29,583 — 28,383 with jobs and 1,200 unemployed looking for work.
Census bureau data reports that nearly 50 percent of Tooele County’s workers travel outside the county to find work.
While the county’s local job market only grew by 28 jobs in August, Salt Lake County added 23,835 jobs that monh for a 3.7 percent growth rate.
Statewide in August, jobs grew by 4.0 percent with 52,800 new jobs, according to DWS.
In the Salt Lake metropolitan service area —Salt Lake, Tooele, and Summit counties — the largest growth in jobs in August was a 9.1 percent increase in the transportation, warehouse, and utilities sector.
Job growth in the leisure and hospitality sector came in second place at 7.9 percent.
A total of 13 of Utah’s 29 counties had an August unemployment rate lower than Tooele County. The lowest unemployment rate was 3.0 percent in Cache County. The highest was Wayne County at 9.2 percent.
The national unemployment rate for August was 5.1 percent.