According to figures released by the Arizona Department of Commerce, Cochise County gained 75 jobs in March. In the 12 months ending in March, Cochise County lost 975 jobs for job growth of -2.6 percent.
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According to ADOC estimates, adjusted for seasonality by the Cochise College Center for Economic Research, city-level unemployment rates for March were: Benson, 14.4 percent; Bisbee, 9.0 percent; Douglas, 12.5 percent; Huachuca City, 11.8 percent; Sierra Vista, 5 percent; Tombstone, 5.5 percent; and Willcox, 12.4 percent.
ADOC unemployment estimates for the individual cities in Cochise County are based on a model that pegs city unemployment to county-level unemployment based on data from Census 2000. The model does not pick up changes at the city level since 2000 that differ from county-level trends. CER focus group discussions throughout the county indicate a likely overestimation of unemployment in Benson and Douglas due to the opening of the Wal-Mart Supercenter and ACT Call Center, respectively, in those cities. Sierra Vista’s unemployment rate is likely underestimated as indicated by comparison to recent American Community Survey data published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Cochise County’s private sector gained 100 jobs in March. Since March 2009, the county has lost 900 private-sector jobs, for job growth of -3.5 percent.
Within the private sector, the number of goods-producing jobs, which includes manufacturing and construction, stabilized at February levels in March. Both manufacturing and construction jobs stabilized. Since March 2009, the county’s goods-producing subsector has lost 200 jobs for a 12-month job-growth rate of -8.9 percent. The county’s construction industry lost 150 jobs in the 12 months ending in March, for job growth of -9.4 percent. Manufacturing lost 50 jobs over the same period for job growth of -7.7 percent.
The county’s private service-providing subsector gained 100 jobs in March. Within this subsector, trade, transportation, and utilities gained 50 jobs, as did educational and health services. Leisure and hospitality gained 25 jobs and financial activities lost 25 jobs. The industry groupings of professional and business services, information, and other services each stabilized at February levels in March.
In the 12 months ending in March, Cochise County’s private service-providing subsector lost 700 jobs, for 12-month job growth of -3 percent. Professional and business services lost 375 jobs, for job growth of -6.3 percent. Leisure and hospitality lost 300 jobs, for job growth of -7.3 percent. Other services lost 75 jobs, for job growth of -8.1 percent. Information lost 25 jobs, for job growth of -3.8 percent. Trade, transportation, and utilities lost 25 jobs, for job growth of -0.4 percent. Despite overall job losses in the private service-providing subsector in the 12 months ending in March, educational and health services gained 100 jobs for job growth of 2.3 percent and financial activities stabilized at March 2009 employment levels.
March saw a loss of 25 government jobs in Cochise County, all of which were state and local government jobs. In the 12 months ending in March, government jobs in Cochise County decreased by 75, for a 12-month job-growth rate of -0.6 percent. This reflects the loss of 200 state and local government jobs for a 12-month job growth rate of -2.7 percent, partially offset by a gain of 125 federal government jobs for job growth of 2.5 percent.
Robert Carreira, Ph.D. is director of the Center for Economic Research at Cochise College. If you have any questions on the economy, please contact the CER at (520) 515-5486 or by email at cer@cochise.edu. Check out the CER’s website at www.cochise.edu/cer.
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