Thousands Joined Arizona's Workforce Last Month

by Cole Lauterbach

Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained steady, remaining at 3.3% from June 2022 to July 2022. In that stretch, the state’s seasonally adjusted labor force increased by 7,209 individuals (0.2%); plus, Arizona added 18,300 jobs in that span, according to a report from the Arizona Commerce Authority.

Arizona made these gains despite July typically being a month of job loss in the state. From 2010 to 2019, the state typically lost 6,900 private-sector jobs each July, according to the Arizona Commerce Authority.

These new job numbers also mean that total non-farm employment had increased by 117,700 jobs year over year.

The strongest month-over-month employment gains came in these fields:

Professional & Business Services (6,400 jobs)
Education & Health Services (5,200 jobs)
Trade, Transportation & Utilities (4,600 jobs)
Manufacturing (2,600 jobs)
Leisure & Hospitality (1,400 jobs)

Meanwhile, 3,000 government jobs were lost month-over-month.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey praised the jobs report, especially the addition of new manufacturing jobs.

“The takeaway: Arizona job growth remains strong with gains in manufacturing and rural communities,” Ducey tweeted.

Labor force participation has continued to grow in Arizona over the past couple of years. July 2022 marked the 25th consecutive month where Arizona added people to its labor force; the state has added 57,000 workers to its labor force over the past 12 months.

Arizona has a lower unemployment rate than the United States as a whole (3.5%). Nationally, the U.S. saw its unemployment rate drop by one-tenth of a point from June 2022 to July 2022.

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Cole Lauterbach is a managing editor for The Center Square covering the western United States. For more than a decade, Cole has produced award-winning content on both radio and television.
Photo “Manufacturers” by Kateryna Babaieva.