July 07, 2017(Daily Universe) - Political issues and social issues often intersect, as seen in a 2015 study by the Utah Foundation that found Utahns who identify as liberal are 21 percent more likely to support gay rights than moderates and 30 percent more likely to support gay rights than conservatives. JD Goates is the current president of Understanding Same-Gender Attraction, an unofficial BYU organization that meets at the Provo Library. The organization is politically neutral, but Goates thinks the … Continued
July 02, 2017(New Orleans Advocate) - The Bureau of Governmental Research has promoted longtime staff member Stephen Stuart to vice president and research director. He succeeds Peter Reichard, who is leaving for Salt Lake City, where he will be president of the Utah Foundation, a group that says it offers “thorough, well-supported research” on public policy issues and makes “practical, well-reasoned recommendations for policy change” — pretty much what BGR does. Stuart has been with BGR for 15 years, most recently … Continued
June 11, 2017(Salt Lake Tribune) - Hatch and Noel blindly advocate for coal development, regardless of facts and figures showing declining coal production and consumption. As the country transitions toward natural gas and renewable resources, coal is becoming obsolete. A 2017 Utah Foundation study shows our state following the national trend, regardless of Utah’s high dependence on coal. These economic trends are further reflected in other areas where coal is king, as in Appalachia. Cheaper energy has forced the coal industry … Continued
June 07, 2017(City Weekly) - Despite the toxic rhetoric from @realDonaldTrump and Rep. Mike Noel, there likely is a future for something other than coal. The Deseret News has been following a series from Utah Foundation on the future of coal, and despite optimism, it just isn’t good. Diversification is likely the key, and that might take some buy-in from the state government. Unemployment in coal country is 50 percent higher than the state as a whole, making the issue … Continued
June 06, 2017(Fox 13 News) - The process to get on the 2018 ballot is just beginning. With the paperwork filed, the Lt. Governor’s Office will review the proposed language and draft a fiscal note. Then, Our Schools Now will have to conduct seven public hearings across the state in July. After that, they have to gather 113,000 signatures in 26 of Utah’s 29 senate districts. Once those are reviewed, and if they are approved, the “Teacher & Student Success Act” … Continued
June 05, 2017(UtahPolicy.com) - The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed Peter Reichard as the organization’s new president. Reichard will take over from long-time President Steve Kroes on July 1, 2017. Reichard comes to Utah Foundation after 15 years with the Bureau of Governmental Research in New Orleans, where he served as Director of Research. He is currently president of the Governmental Research Association (GRA), the national organization of governmental research professionals, and he has served as a GRA … Continued
June 05, 2017(Salt Lake Tribune) - Peter Reichard has been named president of the Utah Foundation, a nonpartisan research organization based in Salt Lake City. Reichard, a former journalist, will take over July 1, replacing longtime president Steve Kroes, who is retiring after 16 years in the post. Reichard has for the last 15 years served as director of research for the Bureau of Governmental Research in New Orleans. He also is president of the Governmental Research Association (GRA), a national … Continued
June 01, 2017(UtahPolicy.com) - Seven of Utah’s 29 counties depend heavily on coal mining and electricity production from coal. But their future prosperity may depend on finding alternatives to coal and the high-paying jobs it provides in the state’s rural economy. Utah’s Coal Communities, the third report in Utah Foundation’s series on Utah’s coal industry and the communities that depend on it, looks at the long-term future of communities that depend on coal today. As David Bird, a lawyer … Continued
June 01, 2017(Deseret News) - The Intermountain Power Plant built 30 years ago in Millard County was the biggest project ever constructed in Utah, generating $500 million over its history and creating an energy hub for the rural area. It is also a great gobbler of coal, consuming 4.4 million tons in the last fiscal year, or roughly a third of Utah’s production, to power Southern California homes and businesses. In this community traditionally linked to farming and ranching, the … Continued
June 01, 2017(KTVX) - A new report is helping state, and local leaders get ahead of the uncertain future of coal. Seven Utah counties depend heavily on coal mining and production. The Utah Foundation report identifies ways to adjust to a new reality. From decreased demand, to easier mining techniques, rural Utah has been hit hard. “Utah has lost hundreds of jobs in these communities in this industry, and natural resources in the last year, two or three years,” … Continued
May 31, 2017(UtahPolicy.com) - If ultimately approved by voters, the petition would raise the state’s portion of the sales tax from 4.7 percent to 5.2 percent. The local option sales taxes imposed by cities, towns, and counties would not be increased, neither would the transit district local option sales tax. The petition, if approved, would raise the current 5 percent flat-rate income tax rate to 5.5 percent. The corporate state income tax rate of 5 percent would not be increased. Herbert … Continued
May 21, 2017(New York Times) - After eight years of steady growth, the main economic concern in Utah and a growing number of other states is no longer a lack of jobs, but a lack of workers. The unemployment rate here fell to 3.1 percent in March, among the lowest figures in the nation. Nearly a third of the 388 metropolitan areas tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics have an unemployment rate below 4 percent, well below the level that … Continued
May 21, 2017(Salt Lake Tribune) - In the Utah Foundation’s 2016 Utah Priorities Project survey, Utah voters statewide ranked air quality as the second most important issue in 2016, and voters along the Wasatch Front ranked air quality as the number one most important issue. This won’t be news to anyone. In fact, the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2017 report ranks the Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem area as the seventh worst in the U.S. for shorter-term spikes in particle … Continued
May 18, 2017(GearJunkie) - And it’s hardly a coincidence that Trump’s executive order extends back to 1996, the year President Bill Clinton created the controversial Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Among other things, the 1.7-million-acre designation essentially put the kibosh on a proposed coal project in the now-protected Kaiparowits Plateau. The return of such projects is not inevitable, though. It depends on the economic incentives and a company’s willingness to invest in land that might carry heightened … Continued
May 15, 2017(Utah Public Radio) - A new report released in May by the Utah Foundation shows that several skill-intensive industries in Utah are hard-pressed for new-hires with the right skills. While local employers can fill bachelor-level positions relatively quickly, Utahns lack skills in construction, technology and trades. Christopher Collard, a research analyst with the Utah Foundation, said social expectations play a role in the gap. “There’s this expectation that to be successful you have to have a four-year degree,” he … Continued
May 11, 2017(Deseret News) - News about Utah’s economy has been mostly positive in recent years, reflecting a steady rise from the 2008 recession with the expansion of new businesses and declining unemployment. But lurking in the data is a trend that threatens to derail that impressive trajectory. Utah is increasingly facing a shortage of qualified workers in fields requiring both high and low skill levels, with more than two-thirds of all employers saying they are currently having a hard … Continued
May 08, 2017(KSL.com) - Just last week, the Utah Foundation reported that more than 70 percent of Utah businesses surveyed have trouble finding qualified workers. Two-year programs like the one the Pyfer men graduated in teach specific skills that a growing number of companies need. “If you come in and do them, you’re given a skill that’s in such demand right now,” said UVU president Matt Holland. “We can’t fill (jobs) fast enough,” The entire Pyfer family is eager … Continued
May 06, 2017(Salt Lake Tribune) - Many opinions have been thrown around on whether Sen. Orrin Hatch should seek an eighth term in office. As a Utah millennial, I would also like to voice my opinion. After 40 years in office, Hatch has lost sight of his responsibility as a U.S. Senator: represent his constituents. Having held his position longer than millennials have been alive, Hatch is not prioritizing and representing the issues of greatest concern to the millennial generation — … Continued
May 03, 2017(KSL-TV) - A just-released survey by the non-profit Utah Foundation talks about wages that have been stagnating in Utah for a couple of years. That needs to improve in a big way. And employers need to work harder at enticing young people with desirable jobs. “So what it is, you’re maintaining traffic. you’re keeping traffic within the barrels . . .” 25-year-old Michael Frankovich just graduated from a two-year apprenticeship with the Staker Parson Companies. Now he’s … Continued
May 03, 2017(KUTV) - Even where wages are higher, jobs also apparently outnumber job seekers. Rich Thorn, of the Utah Associated General Contractors, said just about every company in his group has a worker shortage — and they’ve resorted to unusual means to get people. “We’re seeing, for the first time in a long time, signing bonuses,” he said. Some companies are “kinda poaching other folks’ employees.” He’s heard of a welder receiving $10,000 to sign in with a … Continued
May 03, 2017(KSL Newsradio) - Utah construction and education leaders are still struggling to train younger generations for gainful employment, so they’re making a few tweaks. Read the Utah Foundation’s report: https://www.utahfoundation.org/reports/help-wanted-workforce-participation-wages-job-desirability-skills-gaps/#.WQobhgPOBYo.twitter
May 03, 2017(Deseret Newsx) - Low pay, job desirability, a skills gap and a tight employment market are contributing to a lack of qualified workers in the state workforce, a new report says. Research from the Utah Foundation — a nonpartisan, independent policy organization — found that while the Beehive State boasts a jobless rate of 3.1 percent with annual job growth at 3.2 percent, Utah’s current labor force participation rate of 69 percent is still well below the 71 … Continued
May 03, 2017(KTVXX) - Utah’s unemployment rate (3.1%) and job growth (3.2%) are among the best in the nation. Many businesses still report difficulty finding as many qualified workers as they need to fill available positions. A new research report from the Utah Foundation links the scarcity of skilled workers could be due to a number of factors, including a tight labor market, low wages, job desirability and skills gaps. Key findings of the report titled Help Wanted: Workforce … Continued
May 03, 2017(KUER) - Parson’s problem is one that many Utah industries are facing right now. With a 3.1 percent unemployment rate, there just aren’t as many people looking for work. A new report from the policy research organization Utah Foundation examines some of the reasons behind this labor deficit. Analyst Christopher Collard authored the report. He says there are four big factors contributing to this problem.. “So we traced Utah’s worker shortage back to an overall tight labor … Continued
May 03, 2017(Utah Business) - Utah’s incredibly low unemployment rate has a dark side: companies, especially those in skilled trades, are having a tough time filling open positions. The problem is a complex one, but the bottom line is that multiple organizations need to work together to solve it in order for Utah to keep thriving, according to a new report from the Utah Foundation. Utah’s unemployment rate is extremely low—3.3 percent—and its underutilization rate is also far below the … Continued
