• Relocation Overview
• Planning A Move
  • Jobs
  • Housing
  • Neighborhoods
    • Phoenix
    • Northeast
    • Southeast
    • Northwest
    • Southwest
  • Schools
• Contact Us
• Broker Referral
• Temporary Quarters
• Retirement Communities
• Retirement Living

Arizona at Work

Valley job market continues to grow

In 1999, Newsweek magazine projected the Greater Phoenix Area would be the nation's "second-largest job growth engine" between 1999 and 2025. Living up to that projection, in 2003, the Valley's job market continues to grow. Recently, for example, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) assisted five companies to expand into the region, bringing more than 600 new jobs and more than $18 million in capital investment to Greater Phoenix.

"It is encouraging to see that companies have confidence in Greater Phoenix as a place to expand their businesses even when economic activity is lower than normal throughout the nation," said Rick Weddle, president and CEO of GPEC.

For years, citrus, cotton, copper, climate and cattle have been the primary fuel for the local economy. Over the years, though, the economic base has expanded to include aerospace, high-tech manufacturing, financial and business administration services.
The Valley's industry clusters
According to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, these are the area's industry clusters:

• High-tech
• Bioindustry
• Plastics and advanced composite materials
• Environmental technology
• Optics
• Transportation and distribution
• Food fiber and natural products
• Minerals and mining
• Software
• Senior living

Other industries include business services, telecommunications, financial services, metal fabrication and construction, which is still booming, especially in the West, North and East Valleys. The result will be many new neighborhood retail centers being built, according to a report published by real estate firm Grubb & Ellis.

Enticing more business - The Valley does have many advantages when it comes to attracting business. First and foremost is its growth which, in this case, translates into a well-educated labor pool for corporations to select from.

Competitive commercial and industrial real estate costs, and a lower cost of living than California and most other large regions are other positive features of the Valley, according to a report by the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

A great economic prize that many believe will catapult the Valley's economy into the 21st century is the addition of the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) headquarters.

The consortium is a non-profit research group that is working on creating a genetic database of more than 10,000 cells from cancerous tumors. As it moves to Phoenix, the Translational Genomics Research Institute will then be created to conduct research based on the consortium's work.

Spin-off companies setting up offices here and money received for medical research are just two ways state officials believe the economy will benefit from the research center.

For years, the five C's, citrus, cotton, copper, climate and cattle have been the primary fuel for the local economy. Over the years, though, the economic base has expanded to include aerospace, high-tech manufacturing, financial and business administration services.

Top 20 Arizona employers

Arizona's top employers ranked by number of employees

1. Wal-Mart Stores: 19,189 1607 W. Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix 85015
2. Honeywell International: 13,303 1944 E. Sky Harbor Circle, Phoenix 85034
3. Banner Health Systems: 12,408 1441 N. 12th St., Phoenix 85006
4. Raytheon Co: 10,100 1151 E. Hermans Rd., Tucson 85706
5. Intel Corp: 9,575 5000 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler 85226
6. Albertsons Inc: 9,500 400 S. 99th Ave., Tolleson 85353
7. Bashas': 9,282 22402 S. Basha Rd., Chandler 85248
8. Wells Fargo & Co: 9,100 100 W. Washington St., Phoenix 85003
9. Kroger Co: 9,053 5305 W. Buckeye Rd. Ste. B, Phoenix 85043
10. Target Corp: 8,778 740 W. Camelback Rd. Ste 205, Phoenix 85013
11. America West Airlines: 8,768 111 Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe 85281
12. Safeway Inc: 8,533 2750 S. Priest Dr., Tempe 85282
13. Qwest Communications: 7,000 4041 N. Central Ave., Phoenix 85012
14. American Express: 6,805 20022 N. 31st St., Phoenix 85027
15. Bank One: 6,487 201 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 85004
16. Pinnacle West Corp: 6,324 400 N. 5th St., Phoenix, 85004
17. Bank of America Corp: 6,035 201 E. Washington, Phoenix, 85004
18. Motorola: 5,850 2100 E. Elliot Road, Tempe, 85284
19. The Home Depot: 5,850 2650 W. Thunderbird, Phoenix, 85020
20. Walgreens Co: 5,738 2222 W. Northern Ave. A-101, Phoenix 85021