OCR Text |
Show Unemployment dips in Summit Co. Summit County's June forecast jobless rate dropped more than a full percentage point from May, but remained higher than both the national and state unemployment . figures, according to Dave Turner, manager of Utah Job Service for Summit and Wasatch counties. Turner said the forecast jobless rate was 8.6 percent in June. The revised unemployment figure for May is 9.7 percent.'He said the drop in the unemployment rate indicates growth in Summit County's economy. econ-omy. By comparison, the Summit County rate is high. The statewide jobless rate has been set at 6.2 percent for June. That compares with a 7.3 percent unemployment rate nationally, Turner said. However, work opportunities in 1 Summit County are substantially better than in neighboring Wasatch County, where joblessness is forecast fore-cast at 15.5 percent.. Wasatch County's unemployment rate is the highest in the state, according to Job Service figures. Turner explained that unemployment unemploy-ment forecasts are more than counting the number of people applying for unemployment insurance insur-ance benefits. The monthly forecasts are based on the 1980 federal census with a large number of adjustments made for the current economy, he said. Summit County is experiencing a declining unemployment rate, said Turner, who cited a 9.1 percent unemployment rate for June 1984 here. He added, however, that this county's civilian work force totals only 9,250. A small increase in jobs here makes a large difference in percentage rates compared to larger populations. Uavis Couni iidb the lowest unemployment rate in Utah, according accord-ing to statistics, which list unemployment unem-ployment there at only 3.9 percent. Weber County's rate is 5.9 percent and Salt Lake County's unemployment unemploy-ment stands at 6.0 percent. Turner said a significant portion of Wasatch and Summit County residents work in Wasatch Front counties. Local economic growth depends, to a large degree, upon national factors, Turner noted. Among the things that can affect unemployment here are the federal deficit, which has been related to high interest rates. Turner said uncertainty surrounding the Reagan Administration's Administra-tion's tax package could also be holding down economic growth. Nationally, the unemployment rate has stayed constant for five months. Turner maintains that is a signal of a stagnant economy. . ! |