The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Arizona dropped two-tenths of a percentage point from 7.5% in January to 7.3% in February. The unadjusted unemployment rate went from 7.8% to 7.1% month over month. A year ago February, the Arizona unadjusted rate was 7.9% while the US rate was 7.7%
In February, 17,300 Nonfarm jobs (0.7%) were added to the Arizona payroll. This gain was lower than the ten-year (’04-’13) average February job gain of 26,300 jobs. Government added 11,400 jobs, primarily from Local (8,000 jobs) and State Education (2,700 jobs) as schools increased to full staffing levels following the holiday break.
Pima County’s unemployment dropped six-tenths of a percentage point in February, from 6.9% in January to 6.3%, representing a 600 net jobs gain.
The Private Sector in Pima County lost 800 jobs. Six of the eleven major sectors lost jobs, two were flat, and five sectors reported gains. Government recorded the largest over-the-month job gain adding 900 jobs. With state and local adding 1000 and Federal down by 100 jobs. Leisure and Hospitality added 800 jobs. Education and Health Services added 300 jobs. Other Services added 100 jobs. Financial Activities and Information remained flat. Other sectors with job losses include Manufacturing (-100 jobs). Natural Resources and Mining and Construction was down (-200 jobs) over the month. Trade, Transportation and Utilities shed 1,000 jobs in February. Professional and Business Services lost 700 jobs.
In February, 17,300 Nonfarm jobs (0.7%) were added to the Arizona payroll. Pima County represented 600 of those jobs or about 3.47%
The Private Sector added 5,900 jobs, less than half the ten-year (’04-’13) average gain of 12,900 jobs. Eight of the eleven major sectors added jobs, one was flat, and two sectors reported losses. Government recorded the largest over-the-month job gain adding 11,400 jobs. This was below the ten-year (’04-’13) average job gain of 13,400 jobs. Leisure and Hospitality added 9,000 jobs, the largest over-the-month gain ever recorded (1990-2014). Education and Health Services added 1,700 jobs, less than the historic-average gain (’04-’13) of 3,000 jobs. Other Services added 900 jobs. Financial Activities gained 400 jobs, less than a third ofthe ten-year-average gain (’04-’13) of 1,300 jobs. Other sectors with job gains include Manufacturing (200 jobs) and Information (100 jobs). Natural Resources and Mining was flat over the month. Trade, Transportation and Utilities shed 5,600 jobs in February. Although losses in TTU were typical, this loss was larger than the ten-year-average loss (’04-’13) of 1,900 jobs. Professional and Business Services lost 1,500 jobs, a typical for a sector which has only one previously recorded (1990-2014) loss in February. This loss, however, follows a weaker-than-average January loss.
Over the year, Arizona’s Nonfarm employment increased by 47,900 jobs (1.9%) in February. All of the gains were from the Private Sector which added 49,100 jobs. Government shed 1,200 jobs. Eight of the eleven major sectors reported job gains and three sectors reported job losses. Education and Health Services reported the largest gain of 12,600 jobs. The majority of these were reported in Health Care and Social Assistance which added 9,200 jobs. Trade, Transportation and Utilities added 10,700 jobs followed by Financial Activities (9,500 jobs), Leisure and Hospitality (9,200 jobs), Professional and Business Services (5,000 jobs), Construction (4,800 jobs), Information (200 jobs), and Natural Resources and Mining (100 jobs). Other Services (-1,700 jobs), Manufacturing (-1,300 jobs), and Government (-1,200 jobs) all shed jobs.
Get detailed information, graphs and charts on Arizona data at www.azstats.gov