New study shows which professions are hiring in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite the recession and a 7.2 percent unemployment rate in Utah, we still get our hair cut, and we still get sick.

Hair stylists, nurses and medical lab technicians and technologists are among the vocations for which openings exist, according to a Utah Department of Workforce Services report, with health care the No. 1 industry that's hiring.

As baby boomers need more health care, the labor demand has boosted wages, which in turn has boosted the average wage of all jobs in the study: In the fourth quarter of 2008, the average wage of an open job was $13.40 an hour. In the fourth quarter of 2009, it was $14.10 an hour.

However, that doesn't mean the recession hasn't had an impact. Open jobs filled quickly during the fourth quarter, with 45 percent open less than 30 days — faster than in previous years.

Most jobs could be found in the nine counties with the most population and employers — Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch, Weber, Summit, Morgan, Davis, Tooele and Juab. In that region, there are 1.5 job openings for every 100 jobs.

The study found 42 pharmacy job openings in the nine-county area in the fourth quarter.

Indeed, Timothy Auger landed a job at Jolley's Compounding Pharmacy in Salt Lake City before graduating in May 2009. Other students in his doctor of pharmacy program at the University of Utah all landed jobs quickly too, he said.

Auger was vaguely aware of the demand for pharmacists when he began the 8.5 years of college needed to obtain his degree. He didn't realize how competitive he was "until later in my schooling," he said.

"I love my job," Auger said. "Just the satisfaction I get from helping people. I can have a major impact on their lives, working with them and their doctors to improve their health."

Nursing has long been an in-demand career, and there were 481 estimated openings for registered nurses in the fourth quarter, according to the study.

At Utah Valley University, where students can receive associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing, job placement is nearly 100 percent, said Sam Rushforth, UVU's dean of the School of Science and Health.

"We've always had some moms who want to stay home for a few years," Rushforth said. "Recently because of the bad economy, some of those nurses have gone back into the work force" when their spouses became unemployed. That has made it slightly tougher for more recent graduates to get jobs.

"This is an altruistic bunch of people," he said. "Of course they think, 'Hey, this is great because it gives me options.' But the vast majority go into it because they want to take care of people."

Aside from health-care careers, there were job openings in plenty of other industries.