Arizona’s seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment saw a slight decline to 9.1 percent in August from 9.2 percent in July – essentially unchanged. For the nation, the adjusted rate of unemployment increased three-tenths of a percent to 9.7 percent in August in comparison to 9.4 percent in July.
Seasonal job gains in August 2009 resulted in an increase of 19,700 non-farm jobs, predominantly a result of new school years getting underway. However, this seasonal gain is the lowest recorded since August 1999.
As typical for August, over-the-month job gains were strongest in the Government and Educational and Health Services sectors. Four major sectors reported an increase in jobs: Government (+23,100); Educational and Health Services (+2,000), Manufacturing (+100), and Construction (+100). Six of the eleven major sectors reported losses: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-2,300); Leisure and Hospitality (-1,400); Financial Activities (-800); Professional and Business Services (-500); and Natural Resources and Mining (-100). One major sector, Information, was flat.
Over-the-month, there was a net gain (+0.8%) in total nonfarm employment. The majority of the gains were in local and state public education. August marked the fourth straight month in which every sector posted over-the-year job losses. However, the rate of loss has slowed or stayed the same for most sectors.