Basin’s low jobless rate blessing, challenge

The Uintah Basin’s low unemployment rate — just 4.1 percent — is good news for people looking for work, but it also makes things tough for those looking to hire.

The Basin’s figure is below Utah’s statewide unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, according to figures from the Utah Department of Workforce Services. That is below the national average of 8.3 percent.

Those numbers are, on the whole, good for the Basin, meaning that more people here can find a job than people in other parts of the country. The drilling boom has given jobs to people in the Basin and attracted workers from outside, spurring a population growth and the economic benefits that come with it.

It also means employers are hurting for workers. Vernal Express

Dinosaur National Monument good for local economy

A National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 197,812 visitors spent $6,717,000 in Dinosaur National Monument and communities near the Monument in 2010. That spending supported 77 jobs in the local area.

Most of the spending/jobs are related to lodging, food, and beverage service (52 percent) followed by other retail (29 percent), entertainment/amusements (10 percent), gas and local transportation (7 percent) and groceries (2 percent).

The figures are based on $12 billion of direct spending by 281 million visitors in 394 national parks and nearby communities and are included in an annual, peer-reviewed, visitor spending analysis conducted by Dr. Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University for the National Park Service. National Park Service

Seekers from around Utah attend job fair at UBATC

A job fair Thursday for those seeking jobs in the energy and transportation industries was well attended by many from across Utah. “Right now there’s quite a few truck driving jobs,” said Marilyn Wallis, a specialist with state Department of Workforce Services in Vernal. A similar job fair held recently in Roosevelt featured four employers and drew about 40 job seekers. The event was such a success that it led to Thursday’s job fair at Uintah Basin Applied Technology College, Wallis said.

Within 15 minutes of the two-hour job fair opening last week, an estimated 300 people had showed up to talk with the 19 employers on hand. DWS staffers were also at last week’s job fair to inform attendees of programs offered by the agency, which include resume and interviewing training courses twice at monthly at the local offices. Those interested need to register online at jobs.utah.gov or contact the Vernal Employment Center at 435-781-4100. http://www.vernal.com/detail.html?sub_id=1213839

National park visits boom amid recession

Despite the recession, or perhaps because of it, 286 million visitors flocked to national parks last year, an increase of 10 million people. Utah's national park units attracted just over 9 million visitors during the year, up by 300,000. In Utah, Zion National Park attracted the most visitors of any park unit in the state: 2.7 million, up by 45,000. That set a new all-time visitation record. Zion also ranked No. 7 in visitation among parks nationwide. Elsewhere in Utah, park visit increases and decreases varied widely. Remote Rainbow Bridge National Monument attracted the biggest increase by percentage — 18.7 percent, or a jump of nearly 18,000 visitors. The biggest decrease was at Cedar Breaks National Monument, where visitation dropped by 8.5 percent or by nearly 46,000 people. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell) attracted the second-most visits of any park unit in the state: 1.96 million visitors, up just 13,000 from the previous year. Bryce Canyon National Park attracted 1.2 million, up by a booming 16.6 percent.Arches National Park attracted 996,312 visitors, up 7.3 percent; Capitol Reef National Park attracted 617,208 visitors, up 2 percent; Canyonlands National Park attracted 436,241, nearly unchanged from 2008; and Dinosaur National Monument attracted 203,862, up 1 percent. Also, Timpanogos Cave National Monument attracted 138,571 visitors, up 12 percent; Natural Bridges National Monument attracted 92,023, nearly unchanged from 2008; Golden Spike National Historic Site had 45,334. The Deseret News