More than 71,000 attended Arizona State University’s commencement yesterday, but the excitement of graduation may soon turn to anxiety for the university’s 8,000 graduates. They enter the workforce in the midst of one of the worst job markets in decades. But what may be worse is that Gov. Jan Brewer has absolutely no plan to create a single job in the state.
The Arizona Republic reports that “a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers revealed that slightly fewer than 20 percent of graduates nationally had lined up a job. Two years ago, that figure was around 50 percent.”
Things may be worse in Arizona compared to other states:
Finding a steady-paying job may be particularly difficult in Arizona, which has shed nearly 200,000 jobs since the recession began in December 2007. A positive Labor Department report last week showed April job losses nationally slowed to 539,000 layoffs compared with 699,000 in March. Yet economists expect the unemployment rate to continue rising through early 2010, nearing the 10 percent mark. [Arizona Republic, 5/14/09]
Despite her own Administration’s estimate that the state’s unemployment rate will hit 10 percent by the end of the year, Brewer does not have a job creation plan. Governor Brewer has backed away from a high-profile vow to create a “massive stimulus package” to boost the state’s economy, and has instead slashed important job creation engines such as the 21st Century Fund and the state’s university system.
RSS Feed POSTED: May 14, 2009