The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in October, significantly exceeding economists’ expectations, while Arizona reported a slight decline in payroll employment and an unemployment rate above the national average, according to the latest employment figures released by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC).
The JEC’s November 6 Monthly Employment Update reported that nationwide non-farm payroll employment increased by 165,000 in October, surpassing economists’ projections of approximately 59,000 jobs.
The gains included 159,000 private-sector jobs and 6,000 government positions, bringing total non-farm payroll employment to approximately 159.29 million.
The national unemployment rate declined slightly from 4.2% in September to 4.1% in October, while the labor force participation rate increased from 61.8% to 61.9%.
However, the broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes individuals working part-time for economic reasons and certain workers marginally attached to the labor force, increased by 0.3 percentage points to 7.9%.
In October, jobs increased by 165,000 jobs (+159K private sector, +6K government), blowing past expectations of 59,000. At the same time, the unemployment rate ticked down slightly from 4.2percent to 4.1 percent, while the labor force participation rate ticked up by 0.1…
— Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) November 6, 2026
The latest report also included upward revisions to employment figures from the previous two months. September’s payroll gains were revised upward by 31,000, from an initially reported 29,000 to 60,000 jobs, while August’s figures were revised upward by 53,000 from the previously reported 133,00 to 186,000 jobs.
Professional and business services led national employment growth in October, adding 70,000 jobs, followed by private education and health services, which added 53,000 positions. Meanwhile, leisure and hospitality lost 13,000 jobs, and construction employment declined by 3,000.
Over the past 12 months, private education and health services recorded the largest employment gains nationwide, adding 525,000 jobs, followed by professional and business services with 269,000 additional positions. The information and financial activities sectors experienced the largest declines, losing 119,000 and 99,000 jobs, respectively.
Wage growth also continued over the past year. Average nominal weekly earnings for private-sector employees increased by 3.72%, while average hourly earnings rose by 3.12%. For production and nonsupervisory employees, weekly earnings increased by 3.62%, and hourly earnings grew by 3.31%.
Despite the stronger national employment figures, Arizona’s latest available state-level data reflected mixed employment trends.
According to the JEC’s September state employment snapshot, Arizona lost 300 net payroll jobs during the month, following a loss of 5,500 jobs in August.
The state’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9%, above the national rate of 4.2% recorded during the same month.
Arizona’s private sector lost 2,800 jobs in September, following a decline of 4,500 positions in August. However, the state added 18,800 total non-farm payroll jobs over the previous 12 months, including 23,400 private-sector positions.
The state’s unemployment rate increased by 0.5 percentage points over the past year, rising from 4.4% in September 2025 to 4.9% in September 2026.
Arizona also experienced a decline in labor force participation, with the rate falling from 59.9% in August to 59.7% in September. The figure ranked Arizona 37th nationally and represented a 2.4-percentage-point decline over the previous year.
The September participation rate also marked the state’s lowest level in the past decade, according to the JEC, compared to a 10-year high of 62.2% recorded in November 2019.
State and local government employment accounted for Arizona’s largest monthly sector gain in September, adding 2,600 jobs, followed by other services with 600 additional positions. Professional and business services experienced the largest decline, losing 1,600 jobs, while private education and health services shed 1,300 positions.
Over the past year, Arizona’s private education and health services sector added 14,700 jobs, followed by professional and business services with 7,800 positions. Leisure and hospitality recorded the largest annual decline, losing 8,800 jobs, while financial activities lost 6,700 positions.
Arizona tied for 21st nationally in percentage growth of total non-farm payroll employment over the previous 12 months and tied for 19th in private-sector payroll employment growth.
Separately, the JEC’s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that nationwide job openings increased by 333,000 in September to 7.52 million, while the job openings rate rose to 4.5%.
Total hires increased by 131,000 to 5.40 million, while separations rose by 144,000 to 5.32 million. Although voluntary quits increased by 321,000 to 3.37 million, layoffs and discharges declined by 127,000 to 1.64 million.
The latest figures highlight a contrast between stronger-than-expected national job creation in October and Arizona’s maker employment performance in September, as the state continues to face declining labor force participation and an unemployment rate above the national average.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Holiday retail sales in the United States are projected to exceed $1 trillion for the first time in 2026, according to a new forecast from the National Retail Federation (NRF). The milestone comes despite persistent inflation, rising gas prices, and pressure on household budgets.
The NRF projects that retail sales during November and December will increase 4.2% over 2025, reaching approximately $1.013 trillion. The forecast represents an increase of roughly $41 billion from last year’s holiday sales of $972.3 billion, which grew 3.1% over 2024.
The projected growth comes as retailers prepare for the holiday shopping season amid ongoing economic uncertainty, with consumers continuing to prioritize holiday purchases while remaining cautious about their household budgets.
“This year’s forecast reflects our confidence that consumers will prioritize the holiday season even as they remain mindful of their budgets,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers are prepared to meet that demand with competitive prices, value and choices for every budget.”
According to the NRF’s historical data, holiday retail sales have increased substantially over the past decade, rising from approximately $629.4 billion in 2016 to the projected $1.013 trillion in 2026.
The forecast also follows several years of continued holiday spending growth, including an 8.8% increase in 2020 and a 12.6% increase in 2021, followed by more moderate increases in subsequent years.
NRF Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research Mark Mathews said consumer spending remains a key driver of economic activity, although financial pressures could affect households differently depending on their income levels.
“We head into the holiday season with strong spending momentum, as consumers remain the bright spot in the economy,” Mathews said. “At the same time, inflation, rising gas prices and pressure on household spending will affect consumers differently across income groups.”
In addition to increased retail spending, the NRF expects retailers nationwide to hire between 325,000 and 375,000 seasonal employees to accommodate holiday demand.
The projected hiring range is consistent with the estimated 356,000 seasonal retail jobs during the 2025 holiday season.
However, the organization noted that retailers are approaching seasonal hiring cautiously as higher interest rates, persistent inflation, elevated consumer debt, and rising fuel costs continue to influence business decisions and household finances.
The NRF’s holiday forecast is developed using economic modeling that considers consumer spending, disposable personal income, employment, wages, inflation, and previous monthly retail sales data.
The organization defines the holiday shopping season as November 1 through December 31 and excludes car dealerships, gas stations, and restaurants from its retail sales calculations.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ02) joined Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner at a Champion Homes facility to discuss reducing regulatory barriers and expanding affordable housing.
In a statement on X, Crane thanked Champion Homes for hosting the visit and credited the company with providing housing and employment in Arizona.
“We had a great discussion on shared priorities with @HUDgov, including cutting red tape and expanding affordable housing,” Crane wrote. “Grateful for the quality homes and jobs they bring to Arizona.”
Champion Homes manufactures factory-built housing, including manufactured and modular homes. The company sells homes through a network of retailers and offers multiple floor plans and configurations.
The priorities Crane described overlap with a new federal initiative focused on manufactured housing. In an announcement earlier this month, HUD said Turner would co-chair the Task Force on Manufactured Housing Innovation alongside the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and Veterans Affairs also serve on the task force.
President Donald Trump established the task force through an executive order addressing housing costs. The order directs the group to submit recommendations within 180 days to facilitate modern manufacturing methods for manufactured and other factory-built housing eligible for federal housing programs.
The task force’s assignments include identifying duplicative federal reviews, improving coordination of certifications and inspections, and examining how federal financing programs can support increased production. The order also calls for maintaining standards for safety, quality, durability, and consumer protection.
The task force must also evaluate whether existing federal authority allows grants to be conditioned on, or used to encourage, state and local adoption of standardized permitting and licensing for factory-built housing.
HUD described the initiative as an effort to modernize housing standards and accelerate approvals across federal agencies. Its announcement identified regulatory changes and innovation as tools the administration intends to use to expand housing supply.
Crane’s post described the facility discussion in broad terms and did not announce a specific regulatory proposal, funding award, or construction commitment resulting from the visit.
In his own post to X, Turner wrote that under the Trump administration, HUD is “supporting innovators to increase supply and help more families achieve the American Dream of homeownership.”
The latest federal unemployment report reveals that unemployment fell in 17 states — but not Arizona.
The Joint Economic Committee’s (JEC) monthly State Employment Update reported that unemployment fell in 17 states and D.C., rose in nine states, and remained unchanged in 24 states.
Nationally, nonfarm payroll jobs, the unemployment rate, and the labor force participation rate all increased from August to September.
Arizona was one of the 24 states to experience an unchanged unemployment rate at 4.9%. In August, JEC reported that Arizona lost 5,500 net payroll jobs, compared to 300 last month.
The national unemployment rate is 4.2%.
Over the past 12 months, the state added nearly 19,000 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.5% from 4.4%.
Additionally, Arizona’s nonfarm payroll employment has increased in eight of the past 12 months. The state ranks 21st in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
The state also lost 2,800 private sector jobs in September, and 4,500 private sector jobs in August.
Last month, employment fell by nearly 7,600; over the past 12 months, employment has fallen by nearly 133,000.
The state’s labor force participation rate also fell, from 59.9% to 59.7% last month, marking a 10-year low for the state. In the past 12 months, the participation rate has fallen by 2.4%. With these rates, Arizona ranks 37th in the nation for labor force participation.
Arizona experienced a 10-year high for its labor force participation rate in November 2019, at 62.2%.
From August to September, the best performing sectors for employment were state and local government, an addition of 2,600 jobs, followed by other services, an addition of 600 jobs. The worst performing sectors were professional and business services, a loss of 1,600 jobs, and private education and health services, a loss of 1,300 jobs.
From September 2025 to September 2026, the best performing sectors for employment were private education and health services, an addition of 14,700 jobs, and professional and business services, an addition of 7,800 jobs. The worst performing sectors were leisure and hospitality, a loss of 8,800 jobs, and financial activities, a loss of 6,700 jobs.
Creeping and stagnant unemployment struggles have exacerbated worsening affordability issues, felt this year more than ever. Affordability is a key issue for both Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections; both parties have blamed the other for the growing lack of affordability that has hit Arizona especially hard.
Data analysis over the summer reported that Arizona is among the worst affected by the affordability crisis. More Arizona households have reported carrying above-average debt, and falling behind on payments at rates above the national average.
Arizona sits in the bottom half of the nation for average credit score, 666, and experienced the 10th-fastest drop in average household credit score among all states in 2025.
Auto loan debt was reported at 7% higher, credit card debt is 8% higher, and mortgage debt is 22% higher than the national average.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Arizona Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), introduced legislation aimed at overhauling the nation’s employment-based immigration system to prioritize highly skilled workers, strengthen economic growth, and reduce federal debt.
According to the JEC, the proposed reforms could save the federal government approximately $335 billion and increase U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by at least $549 billion over the next decade.
The legislation would replace the existing H-1B visa program with a more selective system focused on addressing labor shortages in specific industries. It would also restructure employment-based immigration to prioritize applicants based on qualifications, education, experience, and economic contributions rather than application order.
Additional provisions would eliminate country-based visa caps, reduce family-sponsored immigration, redirect diversity lottery visas toward employment-based applicants, and replace the existing EB-5 investor visa program with a system modeled after the Trump Gold Card initiative.
Supporters argue the changes would improve labor market conditions for American workers while allowing businesses to recruit specialized foreign talent in industries experiencing workforce shortages.
The SMARTER Act: Ends mass migration, replaces H-1B visas with a measured, merit-based system that admits only the most valuable applicants; Improves labor market conditions for American workers by reducing excess imported labor; Supports economic growth, technological…
— Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) October 20, 2026
“Today in the United States, we have the same number of 18-year-olds as we did almost 20 years ago, while the older population is growing exponentially, creating a demographic shift that shrinks the workforce needed to sustain our long-term financial health,” said Schweikert.
“If we are serious about tackling our debt, growing our economy, and safeguarding our earned federal benefits, we must cultivate a workforce that continues to compete globally at the highest level, supports our domestic industries, and optimizes our nation’s financial viability,” he added.
The proposal follows a March 18 congressional hearing titled Keeping Our Promises: Labor Inflows, Maintaining Competitiveness, and Supporting an Aging Population, which examined the economic implications of immigration and an aging American workforce.
Alongside the legislation, the JEC released an October 19 issue brief titled Young, Talented, and Ready: Pivoting Toward a National Scheme of Points-Based Immigration, outlining how changes to immigration policy could address demographic challenges and improve the nation’s long-term fiscal outlook.
The report highlighted the growing imbalance between younger Americans entering the workforce and older Americans approaching retirement.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans under age 18 accounted for approximately 25% of the population in 2004, compared to 21.5% in 2024.
Meanwhile, the share of Americans aged 65 and older increased from 12.4% to 18% during the same period, highlighting the nation’s aging population and the challenges associated with a changing workforce.
The JEC argues that an aging population, combined with a shrinking share of younger workers, threatens economic productivity and places additional pressure on federal programs and government finances.
The report also points to the nation’s growing debt burden, which has exceeded $40 trillion, with the debt-to-GDP ratio surpassing 120%.
According to the committee, attracting highly skilled immigrants could help increase economic output, generate additional tax revenue, encourage entrepreneurship, and support technological innovation.
The JEC also warned that the United States faces increasing international competition for specialized workers, particularly from countries such as Canada, China, and the United Kingdom.
The report cited Canada’s 2023 Tech Talent Strategy, which attracted 10,000 applicants through a program targeting U.S. H-1B visa holders within 24 hours of opening.
Schweikert argued that reforming the immigration system would help the United States remain competitive while addressing domestic workforce shortages and protecting American workers.
“To address our workforce shortages and elevate American productivity while increasing workers’ value, it is imperative to reform policies to prioritize selective, high-skilled, employment-based visas over family-sponsored or diversity migration,” added Schweikert. “This is truly prioritizing America, as we strengthen our economic prosperity and national security by building the best workforce of the future while expanding opportunities for all Americans.”
The JEC estimates that the SMARTER Act could generate approximately $1.34 trillion in federal savings over 20 years, assuming immigration levels remain consistent with current annual totals.
The legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives but would need to pass both chambers of Congress before being signed into law.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low-interest federal disaster loans for small businesses and private nonprofit organizations experiencing financial losses from flash flooding at Grand Canyon National Park earlier this year.
The disaster declaration, issued October 13, follows a request from Governor Katie Hobbs on October 8 and provides assistance to eligible organizations affected by flooding that occurred between August 29 and September 3.
The declaration covers five Arizona counties, including Coconino, Gila, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai, as well as Kane and San Juan Counties in Utah.
Through the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, can apply for loans of up to $2 million to help offset financial losses directly related to the flooding.
The loans are intended to provide working capital for operating expenses that businesses and nonprofits would have otherwise been able to cover had the disaster not occurred. Eligible expenses include fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other financial obligations.
Businesses and nonprofits may qualify for assistance even if they did not sustain physical property damage.
Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses and 3.625% for private nonprofit organizations, with repayment terms extending up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not required until 12 months after the first loan disbursement.
The SBA determines loan eligibility, amounts, and repayment terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” stated Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”
Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), whose congressional district includes Grand Canyon National Park, also announced the availability of the disaster assistance, encouraging affected businesses and nonprofit organizations to explore the federal program.
Following the devastating flash floods at @GrandCanyonNPS, @SBAgov has approved a disaster declaration for several counties.
If your small business suffered economic losses as a result, I encourage you to see if you qualify for a low-interest loan: pic.twitter.com/cYlcE7aMYg
“If your business or nonprofit experienced challenges caused by the flooding, I encourage you to review this avenue of assistance from the SBA,” stated Crane. “The EIDL program offers eligible applicants low-interest loans, which can help offset losses from this tragic disaster.”
Crane also emphasized the importance of continued recovery efforts for Grand Canyon communities and highlighted recent congressional action involving the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025.
“Although it’s been a difficult period for park staff, gateway communities, and local businesses, my team and I are committed to doing everything we can to assist with the recovery effort,” added Crane. “Between this week’s announcement and recent Senate action on the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025, I’m hopeful we can help deliver long-term stability to this cherished place.”
Eligible businesses and nonprofit organizations have until July 13, 2027, to submit economic injury disaster loan applications.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
