(The Center Square) — Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May remained unchanged at 4.1%.
The state’s jobless rate has remained at this same percentage since March. Since February, Arizona’s unemployment rate has increased by 0.2%.
Arizona’s jobless rate is just below America’s average unemployment rate of 4.2%.
From April to May, the state saw an increase of 1,118 people in its seasonally adjusted workforce.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seasonally adjusted data is a “statistical technique that attempts to measure and remove the influences of predictable seasonal patterns to reveal how employment and unemployment change from month to month.”
As for Arizona’s non-seasonally adjusted employment, the data shows the state lost 19,300 jobs from April to May. These numbers do not factor in the adjustments made in the seasonally adjusted numbers.
The industries hit hardest were in two categories: 1) government, professional and business services, and 2) private educational services.
The government sector lost 7,200 jobs while professional and business services both lost 4,100 jobs.
On the opposite side, the sectors that gained the most employment were health care and social assistance, financial activities, and natural resources and mining. The “health care and social assistance” category gained 2,300 jobs while the others obtained 500 jobs and 100 jobs, respectively.
Despite this decrease in jobs, year over year, Arizona’s non-seasonally adjusted employment increased by 18,300. Health care and social assistance, as well as government and financial activities, saw the biggest employment gains during this time span.
The industries that experienced the worst job loss were in three categories: trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services, and manufacturing.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metropolitan area saw a loss of 15,400 jobs from April to May.
Tucson lost 3,200 jobs during the same time span.
Regarding its civilian labor force, the number of workers in Arizona grew by 13,800 from April to May. Compared to year over year, the state’s workforce expanded by 49,600 employees.
