Arizona's job market took a hit in August, shedding 4,100 jobs — the second monthly loss this year and the steepest decline since October.
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The unemployment rate ticked up, and the state's labor force participation rate — the share of Arizonans either employed or actively looking for work — fell below 60% for the first time since September 2014, more than 10 years ago.
The decline was not driven by a single industry. Government jobs, mostly educators, fell the most, dropping nearly 2,000. The state also lost 1,600 professional jobs and saw payroll reductions in hospitality, warehousing, and financial activities. The only sectors showing real growth in August were goods production and healthcare.
The August loss is part of a broader downward trend in monthly job gains. Arizona added as many as 10,000 jobs in February, but momentum has slowed since then. Half of last year's monthly job reports were also negative, with the best month being January, when the state added 7,600 jobs.
Nationally, Arizona was one of 16 states that lost jobs in August, ranking fifth from the bottom. New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois all posted lower job numbers. California, Florida, and Wisconsin were the top-performing states for the month.
Despite the monthly setback, some longer-term indicators remain positive. Arizona's total payrolls are still up 17,000 jobs compared to August of last year. Wages are also growing faster than both the national average and inflation, rising 4.6% in August — a point and a half higher than national wage growth and two points higher than the state's most recent inflation reading.
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