Unemployment rate at state level


Published/Last Modified on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:06 PM MST


Larry Blaskey
The Douglas Dispatch


A full plarking lot at the Advanced Call Center Technologies parking lot is good news for Douglas. The new jobs created by the center puts the city's unemployment rate at or near the state rate and lower than the national rate.

While the economic future may be bleak in many parts of the state and nation, Douglas is remaining stable, and in some areas growing, according to a report provided by Robert Carreira, Cochise College Center for Economic Research, during the Monday, January 26, Douglas Chamber of Commerce meeting.

The most positive news involves the Douglas unemployment rate.

According to state figures, the Douglas unemployment rate is 9.8 percent, but that figure is overblown due to the way unemployment rates are figured. He believes the actual local rate is about 5.8-6.6 percent.

The rate is determined by a formula determined after each census, but, mainly due to the call center, the number of jobs has grown so much, it has skewed the state’s projected rate.

Carreira’s estimate assumes only 200 new jobs in Douglas this year, but may not take into account new trainees hired by the call center. It is also anticipated that the unemployment rate will drop even further when the Best Western Motel opens this spring, and the Carl’s Jr. complex opens this summer. Both should add between 100 and 125 jobs overall.

If Carreira's estimate is right, it means the current Douglas unemployment rate is near  or lower that the state, which was 6.3 percent in November, and lower than the national rate of 7.2 percent in December.

Growth in retail stales is still stagnant. While the sales tax income indicates an increase, it doesn’t take into account the increase of 3 percent in sales tax rate for the call center.

He said that from June through October, the growth rate in Douglas was either slightly lower than last year or slightly above last year.

“The worst may be behind us,” he said.

Copyright © 2012 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    GREAT wrote on Jan 28, 2009 8:55 AM:

    " It is so good to see that there is a new source of employment in Douglas. Hopefully this will help the community pay their bills in these tough times. "

    t wrote on Jan 27, 2009 3:24 PM:

    " Is the first paragraph really only one sentence? "

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