http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-963365.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Overall, the state added 99-hundred jobs last month. Two thirds of those were in the leisure and hospitality industry which posted its best March gain in more than a decade. Most of the new workers were being hired by bars and restaurants. Aruna Murthy of the state Department of Commerce has a theory on that.
(music bed)
(There have been reports that the winter visitors have increased in Arizona. And this time around we have seen the largest number of winter visitors in the past few years, especially visitors from Canada. I believe earlier the people used to be from the western part of the Canada. But now people are coming from other parts of the Canada.)
Murthy said that's not to minimize the effect of visitors from other colder climes like Minnesota. The rest of the job growth was divided among other sectors. Construction picked up 2,000 jobs. But Murthy pointed out that lately the numbers go up one month and down the next.
(Construction, compared to 08 and 09, at least is in positive territory. So if I were to make any sense of these numbers I would say it's about flattening out and bouncing along the bottom.)
Next month's report should show what the economy is doing now that spring training is over -- and the winter visitors are going home.
(Music bed up and out).
For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.