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Arizona's unemployment rate remains unchanged

PHOENIX - Arizona's seasonally adjusted rate of unemployment was unchanged in September at 9.1 percent. For the nation, the adjusted rate of unemployment increased one-tenth of a percent to 9.8 percent in September from 9.7 percent in August, according to the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Seasonal job gains in September 2009 resulted in an increase of 10,600 non-farm jobs. Local and state public education, with some help from private education, accounted for the gains in September. While this gain is the second smallest over-the-month gain for September since 1990, it is a larger gain (+3,000) than posted a year ago in September 2008.

Employment gains in September are typically three to four times larger than seen this year. Prior to the current recession, the leisure and hospitality sector gained an average of 2,600 jobs each September from 1990 to 2007. The government sector (primarily public education) averaged 26,500 job gains each September from 1990 to 2007.

The remaining nine of eleven sectors posted job losses over-the-month.

Since last September, 195,800 non-farm jobs have been lost, and a total of 305,300 jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007. Total non-farm employment continues a string of 20 months of over-the-year losses, but the rate of over-the-year losses has stayed relatively stable at -7.5 percent for the last five months.


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