Arizona, Phoenix add jobs; unemployment drops

Arizona’s economy added 17,200 jobs in April and the state’s jobless rate is at 9.3 percent, according to the latest Arizona Workforce Employment Report. That’s down from 9.5 percent the prior month and 10.1 percent in April 2010, according to the report. The Phoenix area’s unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in April, versus 8.7 percent in March and 9 percent a year earlier. Part of the drop in unemployment stems from job gains, while some is a result of the long-term unemployed dropping out of official government counts and off the unemployment benefit rosters. Arizona’s private sector added 16,400 jobs in April, including 10,500 in the Phoenix area. The construction industry added 3,900 jobs statewide in April -- the best performance for that industry since 2005, according to the state report. Manufacturing added 500 jobs statewide, health care 1,800 and business services 2,000 during the month. Financial services was one of the few sectors to shed jobs during April, losing 500 workers.

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