Tucson lags behind state in job recovery

Published: Nov. 20, 2015 at 8:21 PM MST|Updated: Jan. 15, 2016 at 9:16 PM MST
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TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - The state of Arizona has reported its job picture is improving, and that the state is adding jobs at a brisk pace.

Last month, the state added 38,000 jobs -- an increase from the 24,000 it has been averaging in the past year.

The unemployment rate has dropped from 6.3 percent to 6.1 percent, far above the national average of 5.0 percent.

Tucson is not doing as well, however, and is still far behind in the number of people who were employed in 2007.

The recovery has been uneven in the state.

One issue for Tucson is its reliance on government jobs, which have been reduced in recent years and have not come back.

Construction jobs which disappeared during the housing bust have not returned either.

That could hurt Tucson on several fronts, including state shared revenues, which are based on population.

While population is slowing increasing in Tucson, the working-age population of people ages 18 to 65 years old, is falling.

The state of Arizona said it won't release the exact numbers until December 11, but those who have seen them said it's an "area of concern."

The working-age population drives the economy.

They buy houses, cars, go to restaurants and movies, as well as pay taxes.

It's been evident for some time.

"We can't do that anymore," said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. "We have to do what other cities are doing and them some."

There is a bright spot, and that is in manufacturing, but whether that's enough to replace the jobs lost is still a question.

Manufacturing needs an 18-month to 2-year training period, and it can be expensive.

"It's not a quick fix unfortunately," said Herminia Cabillos, the executive director of JobPath. "It wasn't a quick fix when were were growing up and its still not a quick fix."

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