PHOENIX — State researchers have a grim employment forecast for Arizona in the coming year, predicting the loss of 167,800 jobs.
Department of Commerce researchers said Thursday that’s a loss of 6.4 percent, with most of the losses coming in 2009 and only a small sliver in 2010.
The department said population growth across the state is slowing and the less rapid expansion in population has decreased anticipated demand for goods and services in many major industries.
The education and health services sector is the only major industry expected to have a job increase. But even that’s expected to be slow because of the current economic downturn.