A man works on a housing construction site.
Arizona employment growth lagged in April, with the private sector adding 300 jobs, a state government economist said Thursday.
The private-sector growth compared with the decade-long trend of 2,800 jobs being added in April.
Overall, the state added 2,200 jobs for the month, and the unemployment rate fell to 6.0 percent from 6.2 percent in March. The national unemployment rate for April was 5.4 percent.
"The national economy gained 223,000 jobs this month," said Aruna Murthy, the state economist who oversees compilation of the job market figures. "In relation to the national economy, we only gained 2,200, so although the nation seems to be growing, our local jobs are not."
The retail trade sector, a key indicator of economic growth and strength, lost 4,200 jobs, the state report said, adding that it was the biggest April loss in that sector in six years.
Another key sector, construction, recorded 1,300 new jobs, with building construction reported flat.
Arizona has added 60,600 jobs in the last 12 months, a growth rate of 2.5 percent, the report said.
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