Job Shortages
The tables below show the top three occupations that are projected from 2018-2028 of Arizona employers based on the level of education they require. There is a state minimum wage of $12.15 in Arizona. The one highlighted occupation under each of the three education levels has been selected to expand on in terms of potential career advancement.
Potential Career Advancement
1) Customer Service Representative to Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers
Customer Service Representative Job Description:
- Interact with customers to provide basic information and response to product/service questions
Entry Level Requirements:
- English language proficiency to facilitate customer interactions
- Short-term on-the-job training
Supervisor of Retail Salespersons Job Description:
- Supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in a department
Career Advancement Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED typically required
2) Bookkeeping, Accounting & Audit Clerks to Accountant & Auditor
Bookkeeping, Accounting & Audit Clerk Job Description:
- Compute, classify and record numerical data to keep financial records accurate and complete
Entry Level Requirements:
- Certification is not required by Arizona state law, but an associate’s degree is generally required
- Accounting training programs in Arizona are listed here
Accountant & Auditor Job Description:
- Analyze financial information and prepare financial reports on activities in an organization
Career Advancement Requirements:
- A Bachelor’s degree with Accounting concentration
- At least 1 year of accounting experience
- Pass the CPA exam
- Pass the AICPA ethics exam with minimum score of 90
- Social security number and citizenship is required, but there is no residency requirement
3) Registered Nurse to Nurse Practitioner
Registered Nurse Job Description:
- Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and administer nursing care
Entry Level Requirements:
- Complete a state-approved nursing program in Arizona
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) exam ($200)
Nurse Practitioner Job Description:
- Diagnose and treat patients independently or as part of a healthcare team
Career Advancement Requirements:
- Earn a graduate degree in a chosen nursing specialization
- Become nationally certified by an accredited agency; renewable every 4 years
Immigration in Arizona
The following are facts about the immigrant community in Arizona:
- Immigrants comprise 13% of the state population and 17% of the Arizona labor force
- Top industries of immigrant employment:
- Healthcare and Social Assistance, 72,994 workers
- Accommodation and Food Services, 72,459 workers
- Construction, 72,261 workers
- Administrative & Support, Waste Management & Remediation Services, 65,758 workers
- Retail Trade, 63,867 workers
- 81,212 immigrant business owners account for 22% of all self-employed Arizona residents
- Over 45% of immigrants in Arizona are naturalized and another 28% are undocumented
- Top foreign-born countries of origin:
- Mexico, 55%
- Canada, 4%
- India, 4%
- Philippines, 4%
- China, 2%
- About 16% of native-born Arizonans are children of an immigrant
- Educational attainment of foreign born adults in Arizona:
- High School diploma or less – 56%
- More than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree – 21%
- Bachelor’s degree or higher – 23%
- Share of Brain Waste* 21%
* Share of immigrant professionals, who are unemployed, employed at poverty-level wages in High School diploma or less jobs, or significantly underemployed in more than HS diploma, less than Bachelor’s degree jobs
Sources
Jobs
Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), Projections Central – State Occupational Projections, “Long Term Occupational Projection (2018-2028)”; http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, “Education and training assignments by detailed occupation,” 2019; https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/education-and-training-by-occupation.htm
National Council of State Legislatures, “State Minimum Wages”, December 2020; http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx#Table
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release, “Employees on Nonfarm Payrolls by State, Seasonally adjusted”, November 2020; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm
Potential Career Advancement
National Conference of State Legislatures, “The National Occupational Licensing Database”, March 2020: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing-statute-database.aspx
Immigration
American Immigration Council, State by State Fact Sheet, August 2020; https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/state-by-state