Jobs picture

Unemployment rate drops a bit for Yuma County

Continued talk of a trade war hasn’t dampened the state’s job growth — at least not yet.

New figures from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity show the state did lose 4,900 private sector jobs in July. But that’s far less than what typically happens this time of year, with the post-recession average showing Arizona shedding 8,200 jobs in July.

And overall, private sector employment is up by 74,100 since the same time last year, good enough to show a 3.1% growth rate.

Yuma County continues to have the highest unemployment in the state, a year-round trend that worsens during the summer. Its rate for July was 22.1%, a jump from June’s 19.6% and also higher than July 2018’s 21%. The data is taken from a telephone survey and U.S. Census data.

Yet the separate employer survey found there were 1,100 more jobs in the county last month than at the same point a year earlier, one of numerous instances where that figure either contradicts or isn’t as gloomy as the trends shown in the unemployment survey.

The number of positions in almost all employment sectors in the county did drop between June and July of this year.

Doug Walls, the OEO’s labor market information director, said it would be in sectors like construction that a recession likely would first show up. But employment here continues to increase, up 11% from last year.

While Walls does not have comparable July numbers from other states, he said the figures from June show that to be the second highest growth rate in the nation.

Manufacturing employment is up 5.1% since last year, a figure that, again, using June figures, is the fifth highest in the nation.

Yet the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.9% for yet another month, up twotenths of a point from a year ago. That compares with the United States at 3.7%.

But Walls said this remains a function of the fact that as fast as Arizona creates jobs, people are stepping up to take them, whether in moving here or, having been out of the job market, deciding to jump back in. And with job seekers equaling job growth, the unemployment rate remains the same.

Other figures released Thursday show that the state’s average hourly wage increased by 2% in the past year, compared with 2.7% nationally. That puts the current Arizona wages at $26.22 versus $27.80 for the rest of the country.

In general, lower jobless rates force employers to pay more to attract qualified workers. And Arizona has traditionally had lower wages than the national average.

But Walls said that the latest figures — and the widening gap between the state and national wages — is not necessarily part of a longterm trend. He said that over the past five years the growth of hourly wages in Arizona “is consistent with the U.S.’’

Looking at specific segments of the Arizona economy, there was strong growth in employment between June and July at nursing homes and other residential care facilities.

Construction employment also continues to recover from the beating it took during the recession, adding another 500 jobs last month and 17.5% in the past year. But at 177,200 workers it still has a long way to go to get back to its pre-recession peak of 244,300 — assuming it ever will get there again.

Retail trade employment showed some signs of life, adding 600 jobs in July. But that figure also includes continuing losses among stores selling clothing and accessories, dropping another 100 workers in July and 700 in the past year, as customers move more to online purchases.

Arizona@Work’s Yuma County Career Centers were visited by 3,493 job seekers during the month of July compared to 4,788 last year at the same time, according to Employer Engagement Officer Patrick Goetz. The number of job seekers was down from July 2018.

The career centers posted 44 staff-assisted job orders which ended up in 190 job placements. The placements include job orders that were posted by employers as well.

Workforce partners are in the planning stages for the Oct. 2 Yuma Community Job & Education Fair held at the Civic Center. Employer interested in registering and being part of this event can email Grace Wehrle at GWehrle@azdes.gov or call her at 928-329-0990, extension 147.