Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- A state economist says he's never seen job losses in Washington County like those going on now.
Department of Workforce Services Chief Economist Mark Knold says the county that's home to St. George experienced a job contraction of 6.1 percent in November compared to the same month last year.
Knold says the losses are unprecedented.
He says all sectors except two saw job losses, with the construction industry experiencing the biggest decline. This year, it lost 31.2 percent of its total workforce, or about 2,700 jobs.
Knold expects the construction industry to cut another 10 percent to 15 percent of its total employment next year while the market remains flooded with homes.
------
Information from: The Spectrum
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
