“With the pandemic … lots of people have been working at home,” said Utah State University economics professor James Feigenbaum. Even the post office and social services are hard up for help in Utah. According to UTA, the agency saw an “unanticipated” number of workers leave over the last three years for higher-wage jobs or jobs with fewer in-person interactions.Īnd that trend is not unique to the transportation industry. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic might also be a factor. Schools are having trouble finding school bus drivers and likewise, us. “Truck driving companies are having a shortage all the way around. “Amazon is hiring, UPS is hiring, FedEx is hiring,” said UTA spokesperson James Larson. A tight labor market means companies across the board are competing to find workers to fill open positions. Statewide unemployment is a very low 2.2%, and the overall job market shows few signs of slowing down despite recent tech-sector layoffs. It cut back and even eliminated some bus routes earlier in December because of the shortage. But a tight labor market makes filling those positions a challenge.

The Utah Transit Authority is looking for bus drivers.

Uta trax number