City’s unemployment numbers are up

The city of Maricopa watched unemployment grow from 12.6 percent in December 2009 to 13.1 in January 2010, according to numbers released by the Arizona Department of Commerce on Friday.

Each month, the state looks at each city’s workforce size and compares the number of those who have collected or applied for unemployment benefits to determine the city’s unemployment percentage.

From December to January, the city saw the number of those employed rise from 16,705 to 17,585 and those collecting unemployment grow from 2,408 to 2,660. The total size of the workforce grew from 19,133 to 20,245.

The rise in the workforce marks an end to six consecutive months of decreasing numbers. Prior to the slide, the workforce peaked at a high of 19,344.

Maricopa was not alone in its growth in unemployment. Pinal County, as a whole, rose from 11.3 percent to 11.8, and the entire state saw its month-to-month numbers increase from 8.8 to 9.7 percent.

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