Arizona’s wealth of career opportunities is attracting new workers from across the nation according to , which analyzed Census data and data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2017 to 2021 to gain a better understanding of when, where, and how industries have developed in certain regions of the country. 

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated some trends, and decelerated others. It also caused massive shifts in employment, with some industries recovering far faster than others.

Workforce gain

Arizona is currently ranked third among all states in From 2017 to 2021 Arizona’s workforce increased by 7.8%, with Utah coming in second at an 11.4% increase and Idaho leading with a 13.8% increase. 

Hawaii came in last in this category with a 20% decrease in its workforce, followed by Washington, D.C. with a 9.1% decrease and Vermont with a 7.6% decrease. 

Industry growth

When looking closer at the changing workforce, it is not only changing in size by state but also 

The construction industry is leading the pack with an increase of 7.9%. Following is the professional and business service industry with 3.5%. The financial services industry is close behind with a 3.1% increase. 

COVID-19 took its toll on the leisure and hospitality industry, which saw an 18.7% decline. Despite an uptick in leisure travel, the industry has as business travel is still sluggish.

The industry’s slow recovery from the pandemic affects states like Arizona, for which tourism is a major jobs generator.

Skynova analyzed the change in the in different industries from 2010 through 2021. An industry’s average age of an employee can reveal where it is headed; a younger workforce often shows that that industry will be a focus of the future. 

Of the top 20 industries, real estate rental and leasing have an average age of 46.8, followed by public administration at 45.1, and utilities at 45. 

To better understand the effect the pandemic had on the workforce, Skynova compiled a list of businesses with . 

Bowling alleys and billiard/pool parlors were hit the hardest out of the businesses studied with 61% of employees unable to work. They were followed by taxicab services at 53% and personal services at 51%.

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Bank of America has doubled enrollment opportunities for the .

The institute is an online learning portal that provides women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, resources, and skills to manage and build a successful business at no cost. Some of the topics covered in are customer discovery techniques, legal considerations, funding options, product development, digital marketing, communications skills, and more.

Women are launching their own businesses at record rates. women owned about 11.6 million businesses and employed about 9 million people, generating more than $1.7 trillion in annual revenue. 

Bank of America is adding 50,000 more seats to this program, doubling its current size. This will bring the program’s enrollment to 100,000 women entrepreneurs, mostly women of color. This expansion is just one way the many ways Bank of America is delivering on its .

is open to anyone worldwide and thus far has enrolled 50,000 individuals from the U.S. and 120 additional countries, primarily women.

“We know women entrepreneurs lack the access to resources they need to manage and scale a successful business – a need that is even more acute for women of color,” Sheri Bronstein, the chief human resources officer at Bank of America. “We continue to receive feedback from participants about how the skills they’ve gained are propelling them forward – benefiting them, their families, their businesses and employees and their communities – and we’re thrilled to expand the program further to reach more women small business owners.”

of Phoenix was able to strengthen and expand her strategy design, coaching, and event consulting business, . Her business was founded to help women of color and their allies to establish, build and grow authentic ideas.

Some examples of offered are Creating Your Venture; Laying the Legal Building Blocks; Assessing and Obtaining Financial Resources; Growth Leadership for Women Entrepreneurs; Product Development and Digital Marketing; and Communication, Negotiation, and Persuasiveness.

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With four electric vehicles registered in the state for every 1,000 Arizona residents, Arizona ranks nationally for having the most registered electric vehicles.

The state is also becoming an EV sales and manufacturing hub. Lucid, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, and Atlis Motor Vehicles have all set up operations in the state.

On September 28, 2021, Lucid motors rolled out an , all-electric vehicle. The Lucid Air Dream Edition has about 1,111 horsepower and has a performance model offering about 470 miles in range.

Atlis Motor Vehicles

Atlis Motor Vehicles, a startup based in Mesa, is producing electric work trucks. These trucks are expected to sell for about $45,000 with a range of about 300 miles with the capability to tow up to 35,000 pounds. Atlis is also preparing to have additional enhancements that could sell for up to $75,000.

Atlis Motor Vehicles recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise capital and expand their operations. 

“2021 was an incredible year for us and I truly believe we’ve just embarked on an even more exciting one,” Atlis Motors CEO Mark Hantchett wrote in a . 

“We have made leaps and bounds in the energy technology space with so little compared to larger companies around us. We have secured $300+ million in future revenue from battery technology alone and over 24,000 contractual orders for trucks around the world. Now, 2022 is all about growth. This year we become a revenue-generating company — an unheard of scenario for a startup in our position.”

This is not the first time Atlis has crowdfunded to raise capital. Previously they raised about $22 million from . As of February 17, 2022, the company has a little more than $2.8 million from 1,855 investors. Atlis opened its capital-raising effort to the public. Investors must purchase at least 16 shares at $15.88 for a minimum investment of $254.08.
Atlis plans to use the capital to help further to create a new truck called the XT that targets customers in the agriculture, construction, and utility industries. They plan to hire more engineers, buy more battery testing equipment, expand sales programs and finalize the production-level design for the XT.

Statewide benefits 

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) conducted to illustrate the air quality and economic benefits of electric vehicles in Arizona. They found that EVs provide air quality and economic benefits to Maricopa County and the state, concluding that the state should consider policies that promote the manufacture and sale of more electric vehicles.

“We get clear skies. No oil changes, no muffler work, no transmission, faster acceleration. No smog or smog tests,” Jim Stack, president of the Phoenix Electric Auto Association “It’s priceless.”

If more Arizonans make the choice to transition over to electric vehicles there could also  be a large . Depending on the rate and price of gasoline, SWEEP found in its study the total economic benefit to Arizona in reduced fuel costs could be between $75 million and $489 million per year by 2030. 

Arizona laws and incentives

Arizona offers to electric vehicle buyers. These laws and incentives are for specific alternative fuel vehicles (AFV). A vehicle qualifies as AFV if it uses propane, natural gas, electricity, hydrogen, and a blend of hydrogen with propane or natural gas.

Another for electric vehicle owners is the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Exemption. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) allows individuals who have an AFV with an AFV license plate to use HOV lanes, regardless of the number of occupants. Individuals may also park without penalty in parking areas that are designated for carpool operators.

APS offers vehicle supply equipment, installation, maintenance, and educational service. They do this through its workplace, fleet, and multi-unit dwelling customers through the Take Charge AZ pilot program. 

SRP offers residential customers who purchased or leased a plug-in electric vehicle a $1,000 rebate.

Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and Idaho signed the (REV) West Plan. By signing this plan Arizona committed to the following:

• educating consumers and fleet owners to raise EV awareness
• reduce range anxiety
• increase EV adoption
• coordinate on EV charging station locations to achieve a consistent user experience, use and promote the REV
• Identify and develop opportunities to incorporate EV charging stations into planning and development processes such as building codes, metering policies, and renewable energy generation projects
• Encourage EV manufacturers to stock and market a wide variety of EVs
• Identify, respond to, and collaborate on funding opportunities to support the development of the plan
• support the build-out of direct current (DC) fast-charging stations along EV corridors through investments, partnerships, and other mechanisms.

More about Arizona’s EV laws and incentives can be found

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The Arizona Junior Fellows along with the Arizona State University School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership are collaborating with the American Enterprise Institute to host a panel on cybersecurity titled Cybersecurity and the Future. The event is sponsored by Global Market Innovators.

The focus of the panel will be to discuss how Arizona has adapted to new cybersecurity threats, how those efforts compare to other states and jurisdictions, and how the public and private sectors can work together to prevent cyberattacks and better protect consumer privacy.

National cybersecurity expert Klon Kitchen will join policymakers, business leaders, and university students and faculty for the event. Kitchen is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who has previously worked at the National Counterterrorism Center and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Joining Klon is Tim Roemer, the director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. Roemer recently led the effort to create the Cyber Command Center, which serves as the state’s headquarters for cybersecurity operations.

Gregg Davis, the president of Global Market Innovators, and Brian Elisco, the CEO of Tenet-Abrazo will also join the panel. Davis and Elisco will be bringing the business leaders’ perspectives to this cybersecurity conversation.

The event will be moderated by Eileen Klein, the former Arizona treasurer and president emerita of the Arizona Board of Regents, as well as a former healthcare executive.

Cybercrime the world a collective $3 trillion in 2015 and is expected to cost $10.5 trillion by 2025. Arizona has been no stranger to the danger presented by cyber-attacks, as researchers estimate that data breaches from 2005 to 2020 cost the state $1.6 billion. In that time frame Arizona had 181 data breaches, putting more than 10 million records at risk. 

Despite these attacks, Arizona has been for itscommunity-based and cross-sectoral approach to cybersecurity that emphasizes trust and collaboration between government agencies and private companies. 

This includes the recent establishment of the command center, which will serve as Arizona’s headquarters for coordinating cybersecurity operations. 

As more personal data like banking information and medical records are transferred into the digital world, there is an increased risk of cyber-attacks that undermine public and private enterprises. People, companies, and governments are looking for new solutions to rising cybercrime as it becomes a more prominent issue.

About the event

The Future of Arizona Democracy: Cybersecurity and the Future will be hosted from 5:00-6:15 pm at ASU’s Old Main (400 E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281) on Monday, March 21, 2022.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is available .This event is a part of the series, “,” which is produced by the Arizona Junior Fellows in partnership with the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. The Arizona Junior Fellows are a project of the Arizona ˿����Ƶ Foundation. They conduct research in a variety of fields in order to communicate important issues to policymakers and business leaders.

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With the 2022 midterm elections right around the corner, some candidates are embracing new methods to bolster the campaign coffers by turning to cryptocurrency and NFTs (non-fungible tokens).

Republican Blake Masters, who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, has offered NFTs as incentives for donors. So has Shrina Kurani, a Democrat running for U.S. House in California.

Masters recently $575,000 in campaign contributions by selling NFTs to supporters. Masters minted 99 limited edition NFTs based on the cover art of “Zero to One,” a book he co-authored with Silicon Valley billionaire . 

Kurani raised $6,610 with fewer than one

What are NFTs and cryptocurrency?

is a digital asset-based currency that exists on a network that is distributed across a large number of computers on blockchain technology. This decentralized structure allows the currency to exist outside the control of governments and central authorities, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend.

While the two are often confused, NFTs are different from cryptocurrency. When something is non- it means that the individual parts which make up a good or commodity are not interchangeable.  are cryptographic assets, each with a unique identification code, that also exists on a blockchain. 

NFTs can be used to represent real-world items such as artwork, real estate, individuals’ identities, property rights, and more. By making real-world items into a token, people are more efficiently able to sell, buy and trade with a much lower risk of fraud.

Both cryptocurrency and NFTs use technology, a distributed database that is shared among the nodes of a computer network. A common is that blockchain is like our pattern of thought: just as blockchain requires a network, our pattern of thought requires a functioning brain and open mind.

How are regulators treating NFT and crypto campaign financing?

The Federal Elections Commission in , concluded that cryptocurrency are classified as “money or anything of value” within the meaning of the Act, thus opening the doors to candidates receiving these different types of money as

As of right now NFTs are not considered to be securities. However, they could become subject to in the future. is still studying r money laundering, tax evasion, and other financial crimes that NFTs could enable due to the anonymity they offer.

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Two new food innovation centers are redeveloping a former . The centers will focus on food distribution, research, development, and innovation, creating a food epicenter in the heart of the city of Phoenix called the

“Access to healthy food is still critical. This is not something we can just wake up one day and say, ‘We have got to get moving on this,’” , director of Phoenix Community and Economic Development. 

The project will be constructed in . The first phase of this project includes building a  20-acre park, the wholesale food distribution center, and the development and research space. The latter part of the project will include the building of a permanent farmers market where small or local businesses are able to set up booths to sell their food products and other items.

Overall, the project is expected to cost about $200 million. Robert Kline, managing director of debt and structured finance for the Southwest region for Colliers International in Phoenix, “there are about a dozen lenders considering financing the project, which still has a few approvals to receive from the city before construction can begin.” Kline said that for the project they are looking to obtain funding for about 60%-65%, and that the partners will bring in some funding of their own as well.

Not only will this development create about 1,500 jobs in the Valley once fully completed, but it will also put Arizona as a new hub for food distribution. 

“That large-scale distribution doesn’t exist anywhere else in the central part of the southwestern U.S.,” said Todd Hardy, one of the four founders of Arizona Fresh Holdings, the group behind the redevelopment plans for the South Phoenix Del Rio landfill. “The time is right to produce this kind of distribution center for the distribution of food.”

Not only will this project revamp the landfill, but it is also going to reuse the former Kmart store near Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue. This building will be turned into a food production center that will focus on job training and education. 
also plans to open a food business incubator in South Phoenix. This comes after receiving a $100,000 grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. That building will be located at 3146 E. Wier Ave.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics released new unemployment data for Arizona, revealing the state’s unemployment rate has declined for the fourth month in a row.

In October 2021 the , which was a full percentage point down from two months earlier. This rate is also about one-third of what the unemployment was at Arizona’s peak during the pandemic’s proliferation in 2020. 

The state’s rate, however, was still higher than the national average. The was at 4.6% for the month of October, down from COVID-19 spike in March 2020 which was at 5%.

“Last year, there were 21 million unemployment insurance claims before the Thanksgiving holiday. Today, there were 2.4 million,” said. “This is a historic jobs recovery: 5.6 million jobs created since I took office.”

Arizona mirrors this tremendous national trend in . The week before Thanksgiving 2020 there were 404,748 jobless claims in Arizona, and this week there were only 19,067. In October there were 3.65 million people in the Arizona job force, which was the most since 1976. 

The increase in jobs in Arizona was across nearly every category. The largest increase was in the leisure and hospitality industry, which took a beating due to pandemic-induced travel restrictions, lockdowns, and other public health measures enacted to slow COVID-19’s spread. The industry saw a in jobs since last year.

Looking to other sectors, there was a 6.4% increase in professional and business service jobs, a 5.5% increase in trade, transportation, and utility sector jobs, and a 1.3% increase in construction jobs. The number of government jobs remained approximately the same and information jobs declined by 0.9%. Despite these variations among sectors, the overall gains have been impressive.

According to the , improvements in the job market have helped drive increases in wages and disposable income. However, those gains have been tempered by a surge in inflation, and Arizona is no different. Prices for almost everything in the Phoenix metro area are, and it is experiencing higher inflation than the national average. The consumer price index rose 6.2% from October 2020 to October 2021 in Arizona, with energy costs on the rise at 23.3%, high food prices, and the price of gasoline up 46.8%.

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RealtyHop last month released its 2021 list of the in the nation and one of them was from Arizona.

on the list is Arizona’s zip code in Paradise Valley. The Paradise Valley zip code had a 12.88% increase in the median listing price from 2020 to 2021. The median listing price in 2020 for 85253 jumped from $2.299 million to $2.595 million.  

Arizona statewide real estate and property values performed exceptionally well. According to the , Metro Phoenix was ranked tops in the nation when it came to home price growth with an outstanding 33% year-over-year gain, a full 13% higher than the national average of 19.8%. 

, a data analyst for Realty Hop who published the study for the second year in a row, pointed out the effects Covid had on real estate growth. Because many have adopted either a completely virtual work environment or hybrid work environment, many have chosen to move to their dream cities where they will feel more comfortable spending time at home; one of the cities many people seem to have their sights set on happens to be Phoenix. 

Hybrid and virtual work environments reduce the hours and expense of commuting,  creating more financial stability and the ability to afford larger homes in nicer areas. As migration increases, prices in housing did as well. 

Only 11 states made the list this year, with the them being in California. Sixty three zip codes from California are on the list, followed by 20 in New York and five in New Jersey. The zip code that holds the number one spot is Atherton, , in California with a in 2021 of $8.95 million.

California may have made the top of the list, but in the next few years this could change due to the large number of businesses choosing to leave California. conducted a seven-year study that monitored where these businesses are choosing to go, with  Arizona registering as the third most popular destination. The study shows that more than $68 billion in capital was diverted form California companies, with Arizona as the largest beneficiary of that divestment. 
“Real estate seems to be stable, and more people are moving to the state than leaving,” said , president of SKC Strategies and executive vice president of business development for .”More businesses are moving to Arizona because of the favorable business environment and the relatively low cost of living.”

Author: Flannery Sloan, Arizona Junior Fellow

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The Arizona State Legislature passed a bill earlier this year allowing licensed restaurants, bars, and liquor stores the opportunity to sell mixed cocktails to-go. This new market will expand Arizona’s to-go and delivery industry. 

To-Go Alcohol 2021 was one of the largest changes to Arizona Liquor law in the form of HB 2773 to the Arizona Restaurant Association. The bill will provide any business that obtains an approved lease the ability to sell mixed cocktails for off-premise consumption. 

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants, bars, and liquor stores across the state faced closures and shut-downs, but Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order in March 2020 legalizing the sale of spirits to-go. The sale of alcohol to-go becomes permanent with the implementation of HB 2773, even after the pandemic ends.

Upon signing HB 2773 Gov. Ducey , “House Bill 2773 will make sure restaurants and bars have the opportunity to expand operations and meet the needs of their customers, especially after weathering the effects of the pandemic.”

The bill gives businesses two different ways to access this new market, one for mixed cocktails and one for packaged goods. Mixed cocktails refer to any drink combined on the premises of the business that contains liquor and one other ingredient. Packaged goods refer to liquor, wine, beer, or other types of spirituous liquors that are in the original container. 

The legislation was sponsored by Chander state Rep. Jeff Weninger, a restaurateur. 

“Many businesses were hard hit by the pandemic, but smart policies like permitting to-go beverages helped keep many afloat,” Weninger at the time of the bill’s passage. “House Bill 2773 will help bars, liquor stores and restaurants grow, and it will attract new businesses to our state. This is a major win for Arizona’s food and beverage industry, and I thank Governor Ducey for signing this legislation.”

Beginning October 1, bars and liquor stores were able to start selling mixed cocktails to-go. Restaurants that are licensed to sell alcohol are able to apply for a lease granting them the ability to participate in this new way of selling. If a restaurant is approved by the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC), the business will be assigned an automatic yearly renewable lease for to-go cocktails. Restaurants will have to pay a fee of $200 for the application and a fee of $2,500 for the lease.

The to-go mixed cocktails must be sold in a container that is clean, approved by the national sanitation organization, and does not exceed 32 ounces. There is no limit to how many containers one can buy in an order, but each individual container must be under 32 ounces. These containers must only be filled with the drink on the premises of the business after it has been ordered. It must also have a ‘tamper-proof seal,’ all government warning labels, and the business’s logo or name. 

In a similar fashion to restaurants, any bar is given the ability to sell packaged goods to restaurants for off-premises consumption on a lease. The DLLC must approve the lease and there is a $200 application fee. Beer and wine bars only can sell beer and wine, whereas bars can sell beer, wine, and other spirituous liquors to restaurants. 

Both bars and restaurants are also given the ability to do alcohol deliveries, directly from the business or utilize a third-party delivery system only during the hours of 6:00 am to 2:00 am of the next day. Any third-party service must register with the DLLC before starting to deliver alcohol on behalf of businesses.  

Any time an order is placed for both to-go cocktails and packaged goods, a business or third-party delivery system is allowed to ask for age verification and documentation requirements.

The new law still ensures that restaurants follow certain regulations regarding alcohol distribution. Restaurants must maintain a 40/60 ratio of food to alcohol, all employees must be given liquor training, restaurants may receive no more than 30% of their total alcohol sales from to-go sales, and they must make sure that all to-go alcohol sales include food.

The Arizona Restaurant Association has cheered the new law.

“Restaurants, bars and liquor stores throughout the state will have the opportunity to drastically expand their operations thanks to the signing of House Bill 2773,” Arizona Restaurant Association President and CEO Steve Chucri said. “To-go cocktails will help businesses bring in revenue and attract new customers, and it will draw new restaurants and bars to our state. My thanks to Representative Weninger for sponsoring the legislation, and to Governor Ducey for signing it.”

Further information and guidelines are expected to come out from The Department of Liquor Licenses and Control and the DLLC later this month.If you’d like to read more, check out

Author: Flannery Sloan, Arizona Junior Fellow

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