ARIZONA NEWS
Job growth surging in East Valley, according to new report
PHOENIX — Jobs, jobs and more jobs.
That’s what a new report by an East Valley economic group says the area is seeing a lot more of. The East Valley Partnership – headed by Denny Barney – said the region added 4,589 jobs in the first six months of 2018. Most of the jobs, Barney said, were in the business and technology sectors.
“These are … high-paying jobs that will help the economy be sustainable,” he said. “When we have consumption-based economies and jobs (like) construction, tourism … it makes us more susceptible to the ups and downs of the economic cycles.”
The report also noted most of the jobs are from business relocations.
“Our robust talent pool and pro-business environment continue to make … (the) East Valley a destination for entrepreneurial startups, as well as established national and international companies,” Barney said.
The report noted investment and manufacturing jobs led the way, followed by technology and financial services.
The jobs keep coming to the area, too.
Wells Fargo has announced previously it’s expanding its Chandler campus. The banking giant said that will increase the workforce at the site from 5,000 to 6,200.
Also in Chandler, Liberty Mutual Insurance will move into a new office by 2019, creating 750 immediate jobs and another estimated 1,000 positions in the future.
In nearby Tempe, Bank of the West plans to hire 250 workers in IT, wealth management and commercial banking by the end of the year.
Eclipse Automation Inc., a supplier of custom automated manufacturing equipment with a Mesa location, has invested $1 million in its third manufacturing facility. It plans to hire more than 50 automation engineers and technicians over the next year.
CMC Steel began construction on a 63,000-square-foot expansion of its Mesa micromill to manufacture spooled rebar, and EuroContempo will produce its European cabinets at its new 72,000-square-foot facility.
