Arizona Unemployment Rate Down In July, Still Higher Than National Rate

Published: Thursday, August 16, 2018 - 7:43pm
Updated: Friday, August 17, 2018 - 4:17pm
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Fewer Arizonans were employed last month, but the state's jobless rate still dropped a tenth of a point. New figures from the state Office of Economic Opportunity put the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July at 4.6 percent.

Agency researcher Doug Walls says that compares with the U.S. rate of 3.9 percent, which also is down by a tenth of a point.

"We continue to outpace the U.S. as a whole and in a majority of the industry sectors. This is not a trend that has started recently, but it's a trend that has been occurring for the past several years," Walls said. 

The total number of workers fell by more than 17,000, but it’s not unusual for fewer Arizonans to be working in July.

Lee McPheters, a research professor of economics at ASU’s WP Carey School of Business, joined the Show to talk about what the numbers mean, both in Arizona and in a national context.

 

 

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