By Roland Murphy | Arizona Builder’s Exchange
For the second straight month, Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment increased 0.2 percent, up to 6.3 percent, despite a net job gain of 38,100.
The national rate dipped to 5.1, an improvement of 0.2 over July.
Most of the Arizona gains came from teachers and school staff returning to work after summer break, as government added 32,000 jobs in the period. This is down from the post-recession (2010-2014) average of 50,300. Education and Health Services had the second highest gain at 6,700. Overall, the private sector added 6,100 jobs statewide. This is also lower than the average of 15,800.