Cache Valley unemployment percentages drop
Utah’s unemployment rate dropped again to 4.1 percent in December, compared to the national average of 6.7 percent. Local residents have seen similar results by adding more businesses and jobs to the valley within the last year.
Cache Valley is now at 3.4 percent unemployment, which is considered to be full employment, said Sandy Emile, president of the Cache Chamber of Commerce.
“In other words, almost everyone in our community has a job,” Emile said. “It’s an indicator that our community is healthy.”
Aspen Gorry, assistant professor of economics and finance at USU, said young workers around the nation are having a hard time finding a job. The recent graduates in Cache Valley are looking to find a job based on their skills and qualifications in their field of study, he said.
“The trick with unemployment rates is a little bit hard because it’s survey data,” Gorry said. “It’s the question of can people really not find a job, or is it not the job they are looking for exactly?”
The customer service and food industry jobs aren’t always the jobs college graduates are searching for, Gorry said.
“However, the job prospects for students in Cache Valley are better than students across the country,” he said.
Alix Van Noy, a senior at USU, has been working at Gia’s Italian Restaurant for the past two years while attending USU. He didn’t find it hard to find a job in Cache Valley, he said.
“Lots of people say it’s hard,” Van Noy said. “I might have been lucky, but I knew what I was doing.”
Van Noy had experience from previous jobs in the food industry before his college education.
The experience and skills helped him get the job, he said.
“We hope that students will focus on gaining an actual professional working experience while they are going to school,” Emile said.
Students should apply for internships and get involved outside of their education as much as possible, she said.
“So when they graduate they will not only have a degree, but they will have that experience which will make them very valuable in the employment community,” Emile said. “Hopefully we will have a position for everyone that needs one, so everyone can enjoy the benefits of being in Cache Valley.”