Show Uintah County carries Basin economic activity during 1977 Uintah County pulled the Uintah Basin District to a better economic activity level during the first half halt of 1977 1971 than the first half halt of 1976 according to the recent Employment Newsletter published by the Utah Department of Employment Employment Employment Em Em- Security For the Basin District employment employment employment em em- levels in July were about 4 percent greater this year than last year with all major segments of the district economy except finance and services producing more jobs The number of people unemployed unemployed unemployed in July dropped 25 percent below the number a year ago TillS THIS REDUCED the seasonally adjusted unemployment unemployment unemployment rate from 64 percent percenta a year ago to 47 percent in July With increased employment opportunities and decreased unemployment Utah Job JobS S Service offices in the district report handling 23 percent more I job openings and making 38 percent more job placements i during the first half of this year compared to last year Also employment insurance claims activities have been about third one-third lower so far this year and the amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to claimants has been 33 percent less this year through June than last year During the first quarter of 1977 the districts district's gross taxable sales were up by 23 percent from a year earlier and tourist room sales were up by 31 percent from the same three- three month period this year TilE THE NUMBER of new cars and trucks sold during the January through may period this year was 6 percent greater than in 1976 However a 29 percent increase in new dwelling units for construction through June Jun of this year was not adequate to offset the decline in residential non-residential building value so that total building construction was off by three percent during the first six months of 1977 compared to the same period of 1976 Also the production of crude oil was off 19 percent an and natural gas production was down 6 percent during the first five months of this year compared to last year The three-county three Basin District economic activity comparisons is as follows COUNTY Uintah County's economy fared well during the first half of 1977 compared to 1976 An increased level of employment up over two percent in July from a year ago coupled with a decrease in the size of the labor force produced a substantial 39 percent drop in the number of people Unemployed in July this year Consequently the seasonally adjusted unemployment unemployment unemployment rate for July was only 34 percent compared to 58 percent in July 1976 All major employing segments of the economy except except except ex ex- the service sector produced larger numbers of jobs in July than were available last year at this time These conditions resulted in more job openings and job placements being processed by the Job Service office during the first six months of this year compared compared compared com com- pared to last year Also the decreased unemployment unemployment unemployment levels resulted in a drop of over 40 percent in the number of unemployment insurance Insurance insurance in In- claims filed and in the amount of unemployment Insurance insurance insurance in In- benefits paid during the first half of this year The building construction industry both residential and residential non-residential produced almost double the dollar volume in the six months ending in June this year than in 1976 A total of 50 more new residential units were authorized in the Country through June this year than last year The number of new cars and trucks sold through the month of May this year exceeded last year by more than 11 percent And during the first quarter of this year gross taxable sales in Uintah County were up by 34 percent from the previous year Tourist room sales were 21 percent greater for the same period The only losses this year from last year were noted in production of crude oil down 8 percent and natural gas production down 5 percent This was through the first five months of the year DAGGETT COUNTY Decreased economic activity characterized the Daggett County economy during the first half of 1976 July employment employment employment em em- was off by 35 jobs or 11 percent from year ago employment employment employment em em- levels Major losses were noted noted- no ted construction in cons traction service and government sectors of the economy At the same time the labor force was about 10 percent smaller in July than thana a year ago and unemployment decreased from a seasonally adjusted rate of 77 percent in July last year to 69 percent this year Tourist room sales and sales of new cars and trucks were both lower in the early months of this year than in 1976 Also valuation of building construction construction construction con con- during the six month period ending in June was only about one-half one what it was in 1976 Crude oil and natural gas production were both lower through the first five months of this year than in the same period of last year COUNTY COUNT Though employment in Duchesne County was about 8 percent greater in July than It was a year ago the level of economic activity in the commercial construction and production sectors were lower Adams Brock Adams Transportation Transportation Transportation Trans Trans- Secretary We must look to the ultimate exhaustion of the oil supplies that keep the transportation running The motto In God We Trust first appeared on ona a two cent piece in 1864 I during the first half of 1977 1971 than thanIn thanIn thanin In 1976 The Increased jobs were provided by the mining construction construction con con- transportation and trade sectors Due to these gains unemployment decreased and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 64 percent this year compared to 73 percent in 1976 During the first five months of this year increased sales of new cars barely offset losses of sales of new trucks compared to the same period of last year Building construction both residential and nonresidential during the first six months of this year were lower than in 1976 Total construction valuation this year is just over one-half one what it was last year Production of crude oil is off by 22 percent and natural gas production is off by nearly 7 percent through Ma May of this year from production at the same time a year ago Tourist room sales for the first quarter this year were up 83 percent from 1976 but gross taxable sales for the same comparative period were down more than one percent this year |