Arizona unemployment rate ticks up slightly to 3.5% in June

By Greg Hahne
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Published: Friday, July 21, 2023 - 2:47pm

New state economic figures show Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was at 3.5%

That’s one tenth of a percent higher than the previous month, which saw the lowest rate since 1973.

At the same time, more workers are quitting.

Doug Walls, with the state Office of Economic Opportunity, says that rate goes up when people are confident they can land another job.

“So, with the uptick in the job openings and a voluntary quits rate and unemployment rates at near-historic lows, workers may be thinking that this is the right time to change job positions," Walls said. 

Walls says the private sector lost 1,500 jobs between May and June, but that many of those were seasonal workers. 

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