• Iron County showed a year-over increases of 3.1 percent and almost 460 jobs in June 2014.
• Professional/business services created the largest number of new positions in June (almost 130).
• Healthcare/social services and manufacturing also showed strong employment gains. Each industry added nearly 110 net new jobs. In addition, mining and construction made notable gains.
• The only major employment decline of note occurred in the public sector with state government proving the major cause of job loss.
• Iron County’s unemployment rate dropped more than a percentage point over the past 12 months to register 4.1 percent in August 2014.
• Joblessness in Iron County is certainly approaching the full-employment range. Further declines in unemployment will likely result in higher wages.
• Gross taxable sales continued to show robust gains. Between the second quarters of 2013 and 2014, sales rose by more than 6 percent marking almost three straight years of improvement.
• Wholesale trade, building materials stores, general merchandise stores and food/accommodation establishments generated particularly strong gains.
• Initial claims for unemployment insurance have settled into a low, seasonal pattern. The three industries displaying the largest number of claims all have seasonal/temporary-job components—construction, employment services and leisure/hospitality services.
