More jobs, less stress: Utah stats on economy and health

ST. GEORGE — Utah’s non-farm payroll employment for February increased 2.8% in the last calendar year. The state’s economy added 46,000 jobs since February 2022, according to a news release from the Department of Workforce Services.

Hildale resident Paula Barlow works as an intern after receiving assistance from the Utah Department of Workforce Services, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of the Utah Department of Workforce Services, St. George News

Utah’s current job count stands at 1,701,000. Approximately 42,300 residents are currently unemployed, the release stated.

“Little has changed between the January and February economic measurements,” said Department of Workforce Services Chief Economist Mark Knold. “Year-over job growth is 2.8% for February and 2.9% for January. Both months have an unemployment rate of 2.4%. The economy has been resilient to say the least.”

Utah’s February private sector employment recorded a year-over-year expansion of 2.9%, or a 40,000 job increase. Nine of ten major private-sector industry groups posted net year-over-year job gains, led by leisure and hospitality services (9,400 jobs); education and health services (8,600 jobs); construction (6,900 jobs).

The only sector reporting over-the-year job losses are those in financial services (-2,200 jobs).

The result of a great economy could be the reason for a recent analysis naming Utah residents among the least stressed in the nation. According to research performed by financial website Wallethub, only those living in Minnesota experience less stress.

“There are many different sources of stress, from the lingering effects of COVID-19 and work deadlines to relationship tensions,” said Communications Manager Diane Polk.”On top of those, 83% of adults are stressed out by high inflation. Overall stress levels are not uniform across the country, though, and certain states worry more than others about specific issues.”

A trail at Pine Valley Recreation Area, Utah, June 9, 2020 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

The analysis compared lifestyles in 50 states across 41 key indicators of stress, ranging from average hours worked per week, personal bankruptcy and divorce rates, or the amount of adequate sleep for adults.

Utahns ranked best in all states in terms of average hours worked per week and lowest divorce rates. The state is second in regards to the percentage of population experiencing poverty and ranked fairly high in categories of “percentage of adults in fair health” and “psychologists per capita.”

In terms of housing affordability, 35 states were reported as more affordable to live in and adults in 15 states get more sleep than those in Utah. Only nine states rank higher than the Beehive State for job security in the research.

Overall, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia and Nevada were listed by the researchers as areas where Americans experience the most stress.

Three Peaks Recreation Area, Iron County, Utah, April 5, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Massachusetts were listed as the states where residents experienced the least stress due to their surrounding environment.

According to Dr. Scott Tobias, associate professor at Kent State University, reducing personal stress about finances can help reduce stress in many other areas.

“Financial issues and stress tend to go together, so reducing this stress can have tangible benefits,” said Tobias “Creating a budget and sticking to it is not the easiest task. For those who do, however, the benefits are twofold. Achieving the goal of sticking to the budget and knowing that, financially, things are in order.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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