College students today are increasingly concerned about their prospects post-graduation. Before they select a major, many would like to know projected job openings and median wages for occupations aligned with their potential field of study, and locations in their state or region with the lowest unemployment. But where do these students find this information? While there are many national reports discussing this (see: Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight, US News and World Report, The Hamilton Project, among others), the best place for Utah-specific data is the Department of Workforce Services, which has extensive information on the economic and job outlook for Utah through the Utah Economic Data Viewer (UEDV).

Complete Occupational Overview

One of the most helpful tools through the UEDV is the Occupational Explorer. As an example, let’s say you are a student interested in majoring in Marketing. You can use the Occupational Explorer to see the following information for the occupational category of Marketing Managers:

• Job description
• Statewide star rating for Marketing Managers
• Employment projections through 2022
• Occupational wages by region
• Related occupations
• Necessary occupational skills
• Current job openings listed through DWS
• Education and training through schools in the Utah System of Higher Education

The entire Occupational Report for Marketing Managers is just one example of the numerous occupational reports the UEDV has. In addition to many other aspects, this information is helpful in comparing similar majors to see which has the better outlook. In this example, it would be more prudent to major in Marketing over Advertising, as the outlook for Marketing Managers is much better than that for Advertising and Promotions Managers, though they both require similar education and skills.

Average Wages and Current Job Openings by Occupation

This tool provides wage information for Utah jobs at the statewide and selected regions. To continue this example, below is what this tool provides when you search for statewide information on Marketing Managers:

Statewide – Wage and Occupational Openings Report

(Full Wage and Occupational Openings Report for Marketing Managers available here.)

Economic Outlook Statewide and by Region

After looking through the information above, you’ve decided to major in Marketing. Congrats! But now you wonder which region of Utah would provide the most and best opportunities for employment post-graduation. How can you find the job outlook in specific regions throughout the state? The County & State Info section of the UEDV has this information broken down in easy-to-digest infographics. For example, to see the outlook in Salt Lake County, you can search in this section and receive the information below, which includes:

• Year-to-year change in jobs, overall and by economic sector
• Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate
• Statewide comparisons