Phoenix, Arizona #1 for Attracting & Retaining Workers (Report)

[Melanie Johnston]

Those of you have invested in Metro Phoenix--or are posting "where to invest" questions--might want to read this article from today's Arizona Republic.

At the end of this excerpt there is a link you should be able to access without being a subscriber:

Jobs magnet: Study ranks metro Phoenix No. 1 nationally for attracting, retaining workers Russ Wiles, Arizona Republic

Metro Phoenix has finished at the top — again — in a national study that ranks counties by their ability to attract and retain high-quality workers and other economic-development factors.

Maricopa County finished first in the study by labor-analytics firm Emsi, beating out runner-up Clark County, Nevada, home of Las Vegas, and dozens of counties from Texas and Florida. The study evaluated counties in terms of migration, overall job growth, skilled-job growth, educational attainment, regional competitiveness and annual job openings per capita.

Maricopa County placed second overall last year but has finished first in three of the five years the study was conducted. The latest version analyzed 601 counties across the U.S., including nine of 15 in Arizona.

"Perhaps what is most striking about Maricopa’s economy is the breadth and depth of industries," the report said. "It’s reasonable to assume Maricopa is benefiting from a feedback loop: existing talent attracts firms and investment, which in turn attracts more talent."

Positive recent developments for metro Phoenix cited in the report include Intel's expansion of its Fab 42 factory in Chandler. Maricopa County's growth as a leader in advanced manufacturing and semiconductors has fueled a double-digit increase in skilled jobs, the Emsi researchers said.

Read the article here:

https://www.azcentral.com/stor...

Melanie