Another industry that has received much attention is construction . Throughout most of 1990's, this industry has grown rapidly and exceeded its historic performance levels by quite a bit. But the long period of powerful growth is winding down, as the current situation is showing very little year-over growth. Looking further ahead, construction's employment levels over the next two years are expected to decline. Another industry that comprises a large component of the economy is trade , but it is bogged down with sluggish growth.
Trade consists of both a wholesale and a retail component.
In number of jobs, retail is by far the larger component, and this is the unit that is struggling. This component includes food stores, department stores, and restaurants, among others. It is the largest industry that captures our consumer spending dollars, and expansion is usually driven by population growth. The communications industry is vibrant in Salt Lake County with over 1,000 new year-over jobs. These jobs are centered upon companies such as PageNet, Qwest, and TCI Cablevision.