By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.4% in July, up from 3.3% in June, according to the latest report published by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
The national unemployment rate also increased over the month, rising to 4.3% from 4.1%. Last July, Arizona had a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.9%. The national rate was 3.5%.
The Arizona Construction sector added 2,900 jobs over the month.
Arizona had a not-seasonally adjusted loss of 9,400 in nonfarm employment jobs month-over-month. “Prior to the pandemic (2010-2019), NSA nonfarm employment lost 19,900 jobs on average in July,” the report states.
The private sector lost 5,500 jobs over the month, led by Leisure & Hospitality losing 5,800 and Trade, Transportation & Utilities falling by 4,500. Government lost 3,900, mostly in the Local Government Education subsector, which accounted for 3,800.
Of the 12 sectors tracked, six reported gains over the month. The top two sectors showing increases were Professional & Business Services, which added 3,000, and Construction at 2,900.
Year-over-year, nine of the 12 sectors reported gains, including Construction’s addition of 8,500 jobs and Natural Resources & Mining’s increase of 900.
Construction Employment
Statewide construction employment totals 219,800 jobs. In July 2023, the sector reported 211,300.
The Arizona Construction sector features three major segments: Buildings, Heavy, and Specialty Trades. There are currently 47,900 jobs in Buildings, which is up 1,100 from June and up 3,700 from July 2023. Heavy Construction increased by 300 over the month to 25,400 and added 1,000 over the year. Specialty Trades added 1,500 over the month for a total of 146,500, and the segment added 3,800 year-over-year.
Construction jobs in the Phoenix Metro Area (Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale) added 1,700 over the month for a total of 173,000. The July 2023 number was 168,300. Metro Tucson gained 100 construction jobs over the month at 21,200, which is an increase of 700 year-over-year.
Yuma, Flagstaff, Prescott, Lake Havasu City-Kingman and Sierra Vista-Douglas combine Mining and Construction jobs in reporting their job sector totals. All the metro areas were unchanged, except for Prescott, which lost 100, finishing the month with a total of 7,200. Yuma reported 3,800. Flagstaff had 3,100. Lake Havasu City-Kingman had 4,700 construction jobs, and Sierra Vista-Douglas had 2,100.