Arizona unemployment rate drops to 3.3%, lowest in 45 years

PHOENIX — Arizona’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in March, the lowest mark seen in the state in over 45 years.

The state hadn’t seen a seasonally adjusted rate that low since 1976, according to the monthly report released Thursday by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.

Unemployment dropped from 3.6% in February and remained ahead of the national rate for March, which was also 3.6%.

Arizona was aided by a month-over-month increase of 5,275 jobs, bringing the employed labor force to over 3.5 million.

Education/health services, manufacturing and construction were three of the most popular sectors for growth in March.

The state has continued to add jobs in the past year, helping the workforce recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2021, the state’s unemployment rate was 5.8%. Since then, the state’s workforce has jumped by 108,000 jobs, dropping the unemployment rate by 2.5 percentage points.

Leisure/hospitality and trade/transportation/utilities were the top job gainers in the past year.

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