PHOENIX — Arizona’s jobless rate stayed the same last month as the state’s economy continued its relatively flat performance.
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And the number of people working in Arizona is down 7,500 from a year earlier.
The Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff metro areas also recorded n change in jobless rates; in Yuma the rate declined from 14.1 percent to 13.2 percent.
“What we’re seeing is the overall total payroll employment is kind of bouncing up and down, slightly positive one month, slightly negative the next month,’’ said Dennis Doby, senio director of research administration for the state Department o Commerce.
Arizona’s construction industry continues to be the biggest drag on the state’s economy, shedding another 800 jobs in March. Year over-year construction employment is down nearly 25,000.
At the other extreme, the state’s leisure and hospitalit industry picked up another 3,700 workers, spurred by winte visitors including Cactus League play.
But Frances Griego, a research administration economist, sai even that was a disappointment, with the March job gains in that sector the smallest in five years.
Employment in professional and business services picked up by 3,300 in March over February. Within that sector, one big area of gain was in people providing employment services.
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