The numbers dipped slightly in August, but the outlook, nonetheless, remains the same: Utah's employment picture is bright.

In its monthly snapshot released Tuesday, the Utah Department of Workforce Services reported continued strong job growth and low unemployment rates throughout August.

At 4.5 percent, job growth for nonfarm wage and salaried jobs dropped ever so slightly from the 4.7 percent recorded in July, but analysts noted that employment growth remains in "high gear."

"Even though the employment growth rate moved down slightly and may yet continue to move slowly downward, our growth will remain aggressive and above average," said Mark Knold, the department's chief economist.

The state's unemployment rate experienced a slight dip, as well, dropping from 2.9 percent in August 2006 to 2.6 percent last month. The figure means that some 35,000 Utahns were unemployed in August 2007, according to Tuesday's report.

The United States unemployment rate was 4.6 percent last month.

Utah has added approximately 54,500 new jobs over the past year, representing about 5 percent of the 1.5 million new jobs added nationwide since August 2006. The growth is notable, according to Workforce Services, since Utah holds less than 1 percent of all U.S. jobs.

In particular, construction has led the state's job growth with more than 12,000 new jobs created since last August. That number is down from a high of 14,000 in March, leading the department to note a trend on the horizon.

Tuesday's report cautions that the dip should not be met with alarm. Three years of "powerful construction" in the state has begun to slow, the report states, as evidenced by a noticeable drop in residential housing permits.

With the entire nation on the cusp of a housing bust, Knold was careful to note that he does not believe national housing problems, particularly the subprime mortgage crisis, will have too much of an impact in Utah.

"Utah didn't experience a high usage of this mortgage voodoo, so our exposure to its negativity is limited," he said in his prepared statements. "Even those who did use this financing vehicle may be able to weather their mortgage-rate adjustments, anchored upon Utah's strong job market and wage increases.

"Utah's economic growth momentum should be enough to mitigate any negative mortgage influence that may arise," he said.

Other areas of strong job growth in the past year have been in professional and business services and health care, according to the Workforce Services report. Health care, in particular, is a "vibrant and growing" industry in the state, adding 5,200 jobs since August 2006. As population increases, the report states, so do illnesses, accidents and other health-related needs.

---

E-mail: awelling@desnews.com