Businesses added thousands of positions to the Arizona job market last month

More than 80 companies operating in Arizona added 100 or more jobs last month, creating nearly 26,000 new jobs for the state.

Banner Health, a non-profit health care system based in Phoenix, tops the list with 1,400 new jobs. University of Arizona follows close behind, offering 1,330 new jobs, then CVS Health with 1,280 new jobs, Oracle with 1,110 new jobs and Anthem Inc. with 990 new jobs.

Banner Health is the largest private employer in Arizona, employing more than 43,000 people. The company has also made significant investments in areas such as patient care, infrastructure and the community, according to Scott Nordlund, chief strategy and growth officer at Banner Health.

“Two of our largest projects at this time are the new patient towers under construction at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix and Banner-University Medical Center Tucson,” Nordlund said. “They total an investment of more than $850 million and are the pillars of academic medicine in the state of Arizona.”

Expanding the workforce is a key ingredient to successful growth, and nurses and entry-level support staff are the most needed right now, said Carol Cheney, vice president of staffing and workforce planning for Banner Health.

“These positions have been more challenging to fill due to the current unemployment rate, which is very low,” Cheney said.

Arizona had a 4.7 percent unemployment rate as of June 2018, and metropolitan area cities like Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale sit even lower — 3.5 percent, 3.1 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

CVS Health is hiring pharmacy employees across the state, with openings in Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Lake Havasu City and Yuma. Arizona is a major business hub for the company, having grown organically and through acquisition, said Joe Goode, senior director of corporate communications at CVS Health.

“Arizona is a hidden gem in which to grow our business and expand many of our services and capabilities,” Goode said. “It’s a great place to live, offers great colleges and technical schools that attract and retain highly-skilled talent to drive 21st century innovation, and there’s a business-friendly government in place.”

More than 100 new CVS positions in Arizona are part of the company’s innovation startup in Scottsdale, where CVS is recruiting advanced software developers, computer systems analysts and application designers, Goode said.

“The expansion of our startup site follows the growth in our operations across the state,” Goode said. “Arizona provides a deep, technology-driven talent pool to draw from, and that enables us to continue to innovate in ways that help people on their path to better health.”

Oracle, the California-based technology giant, will soon be moving to the Arizona State University SkySong Center in Scottsdale.

Intel, another California-based tech giant, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding on Sunday, July 22. The company has been an established Arizona presence since 1979 and touts an annual economic impact of $5.3 billion in the state.

“Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Intel, a company born at the dawn of the technology industry – the advent of the integrated circuit,” said Murthy Renduchintala, chief engineering officer at Intel Corporation, in a press release. “We stand now at the starting line of a new and even more profound digital transformation where virtually every activity will interact with computing.”

Intel is adding 140 new engineering, management and research positions to its 10,000-strong workforce at two Chandler campuses.

“Our Arizona operations are an important part of our global manufacturing network,” said Elizabeth Shipley, public affairs director for Intel. “We also know that it is critical to be a responsible corporate citizen, and we’re committed to applying our technology and the talents of our employees to support the Arizona community.”