EMPLOYMENT STABILITY AND THE ROLE OF SECTORAL DOMINANCE IN RURAL ECONOMIES

Rural development has received renewed attention, particularly in the West, where there are opportunities for enhancing tourism in communiti es once reliant on extractive resources. The historical focus of rural development has been on economic growth, with little concern about th e sustainability or socioeconomic impacts of such growth. This study a nalyzes and discusses the employment dynamics of rural economies with varying employment bases to illustrate some possible impacts of target ing specific employment sectors as part of a rural economic developmen t strategy. The empirical research focuses on the rural counties of Ut ah, where the trade and service sectors associated with increased tour ism and retirement communities have been rapidly expanding throughout the past two decades.