The Phoenix metro gained 69,000 jobs in December to bring the total workforce to nearly 2.24 million, a 3.2 percent increase over December 2018, according to the December Employment Report from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity. The unemployment rate for the Phoenix metro dropped 0.6 percent from 4.3 percent in 2018 to 3.7 percent to end 2019.
By Eric Jay Toll for PHXNewsroom
Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped from 4.9 percent at the end of 2018 to 4.6 percent to finish in 2019. Nationally, the unemployment rate over the same period declined from 3.9 percent in 2018 to 3.5 percent for 2019.
Job gains, according to the AOEO were higher than the historical 10-year average for December.
In the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area, the biggest gains were in transportation and warehousing, with 10,800 jobs added in December compared to 2018. The jump is reflective of the holiday shopping season in the not seasonally adjusted numbers for December.
Bioscience healthcare added 10,400 jobs in December, with most of those in ambulatory health care services—doctor offices, out-patient surgery centers and urgent care clinics. Despite the Christmas holiday, retail added only 700 jobs in November and another 1,800 in December, just a 1.2 percent gain year-over-year.
Professional and business services gained 6,800 jobs over 2018, but just a 1.9 percent increase. The gains were offset by workforce losses in services to buildings and dwellings. The sector, however, lost 5,200 jobs in December than it posted in November.
Construction hiring added 8,300 jobs in December, a 4.8 percent increase. More than half of those positions were in specialty trades.
