The Department of Administration’s economic research staff reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent in December from 4.3 percent in November.

Arizona’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate dropped to 4.7 percent last month, the lowest rate in nearly a decade. The decline of three tenths of a point came as private sector employers said they added 10,300 new workers between August and September.

Arizona should see continued job growth and a lower unemployment rate this coming year according to two economists.

New figures released this morning show the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July hit 6.0 percent. That’s up two tenths of a percent from June.

The biggest share of jobs Arizona will create in the next two years will be in positions that don’t require even a high school diploma.

Arizona's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 5.8 percent, down two-tenths of a percentage point from April. State Department of Administration officials say it marks the third consecutive month that Arizona's jobless rate fell by at least two-tenths of a percent.

Arizona added 23,300 private sector jobs last month. But many of them may just be temporary. New figures show 10,700 of those jobs were in retail sales. Aruna Murthy, director of economic analysis for the state Department of Administration, said most of these likely are seasonal hires.

Arizona will likely see lackluster economic growth in the coming year as the hangover from the housing bust continues to dampen the economic recovery, economists presenting at an annual forecast meeting said Wednesday.

Arizona's unemployment rate has dropped for a second straight month. State Department of Administration economists said Thursday that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 6.8 percent, down from 6.9 percent in September.

The state’s jobless rate ticked up one-tenth of a point last month, to 7.0 percent, amid lackluster overall growth of jobs in the private sector and sharp but seasonally expected declines in employment in public education.