Riana Culp dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher and supporting her own family. However, before she does that, she wants to find a job to help her live independently and pay for her education.
'I need to save money. My parents are supporting me right now and the money that I have saved from my old job back at home, but I need money to start saving and supporting myself,' said Culp.
New numbers on joblessness are encouraging to Culp and other Utahns looking for work. Utah's unemployment rate is at 5.8%, 2 point below the national average of 7.8%. New businesses, like the new outlet mall in Lehi, are one of many ways Utah is working to keep the unemployment rate down. However increasing the number of available jobs isn't the only factor involved. Utah's labor force is dominated by 25-35 year olds and companies often look to hire people young and fresh out of college. Mark Knold, Chief Economist from the Utah Department of Workforce Services, says that the young labor force is key to keeping Utah's unemployment rate low.
'In the greater spread of the economy, the industries that are looking for younger labor force would look towards Utah as being a place where they would like to come in and take advantage of our young labor force,' said Knold.
Knold also says that Utah is attracting new businesses, creating more jobs and lowering the rate even further. Recent statistics show that Utah is one of the top ten states when it comes to low unemployment numbers.