Tagged: unemployment

The state's jobless rate remained at 8.2 percent for the third month in a row. But a closer look at the data suggests that does not mean the recovery here has stalled.

Despite gaining some 4,000 private sector jobs in December, Arizona's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is holding at 8.7 %.

The Department of Administration says the month's lackluster performance comes from above-average losses in government jobs, primarily in public education.

Still, even with the slow growth, the Department's Rick van Sickle says the state is ahead of where forecasters thought they would be.

He says economists thought the state would see 0.7 % growth over the year.