The seasonally adjusted Arizona unemployment rate decreased to 3.4% in April 2023 from 3.5% in March 2023.
More than 60,000 Arizonans found work over the last 12 months, bringing the unemployment rate down by 0.1%. This change follows the national unemployment rate, which also decreased from 3.5% to 3.4% in April.
Arizona’s seasonally adjusted labor force has increased by 1.8% this past year, or by 63,628 individuals. This April’s unemployment rate is 0.2 percentage points lower than in April 2022, when unemployment was at 3.6%.
When not adjusted for seasonal employment, Arizona employment increased by 13,800 jobs in April. This is a larger net gain than pre-pandemic rates, which averaged 9,500 new jobs each April.
A large portion of this change comes from an increase in government jobs. Pre-pandemic, an average of 900 people were publicly employed each April. In 2023, the government sector gained 3,500 employees in Arizona alone.
Within the public sector, leisure and hospitality received the largest net gain, with 5,100 individuals employed in April. Private education and health services follow with 4,300 people newly employed.
The transportation, finance, and manufacturing industries all experienced employment losses this April, with 900, 1,000, and 1,000 fewer individuals, respectively.
Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
