State Unemployment Rate Rising

Arizona’s unemployment rate rose four tenths of a percent to 7.4% in February. That’s less than the national rate of 8.1%. The Arizona Commerce Department says Arizona is on pace to reach 8 percent in two or three months. Unlike January’s negative job growth, five out of the eleven major job sectors grew slightly, but at a far below seasonal average pace. The one sector that showed the most growth was government, as state and local school personnel had a seasonal return to work.