The current decline can be traced to the public sector. Local government (which includes public education) accounted for almost all the job loss. On the flip side, no major industry generated any significant employment gains.
And, the county’s jobless rate continues to slip. At 4.3 percent, the county’s July 2014 jobless rate measures a full percentage point lower than it did in July 2013. Fortunately, out-migration coupled with a large out-commuting workforce have allowed Piute County’s unemployment rate to decline in the midst of job loss.
Gross taxable sales provide the one glossy piece of economic news in a rather dull tale. Between the first quarters of 2013 and 2014, Piute County gross taxable sales increased by a whopping 46 percent. Unfortunately, a huge portion of this gain can be attributed to a prior-quarter adjustment.
