There has been a sharp decline in government jobs since the pandemic began affecting Utah’s economy in March.
From March to May, nearly 20,000 government jobs disappeared – a 7% decline. This is roughly proportional to the decrease in jobs overall – 6%. This contrasts with the previous recession, when jobs overall decreased 6% from 2008 to 2010 while government jobs actually increased by 3% over the same time period.[1]
Still, there is a major long-term decline in government employment as a proportion of Utah’s workforce. A half century ago, in 1969, Utah Foundation reported that nearly one-in-four working Utahns were employed by the government, whether federal, state or local.
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