I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF THE TUCSON JOB MARKET...

(h/t Pamela Powers Hannley)

before I moved there but it seems to be worse than I thought.  This article from the Arizona Daily Star tells the dismal story:

Tucson beats only Detroit in high-wage job growth

November 12, 2013 12:00 am • By Carli Brosseau
A ranking of major metropolitan areas by the share of new jobs paying high wages shows Tucson outpacing only one other metro area — Detroit.

Only 25 percent of the new jobs predicted for 2013-17 in Tucson are expected to pay more than $21.13 an hour. By contrast, chart-topper Washington, D.C., is expecting 58 percent of its new jobs to be in that high-wage category.

Here are the lists that go with this article...

Tucson's 20 fastest growing occupations, 2013-2017

24 percent - telemarketers
22 percent - personal care aides
21 percent - home health aides
18 percent - licensed practical and vocational nurses
16 percent - nursing assistants
16 percent - customer service representatives
15 percent - medical secretaries
14 percent - food preparation and serving, fast food
12 percent - receptionists and information clerks
12 percent - medical assistants
11 percent - restaurant cooks
10 percent - registered nurses
10 percent - cashiers
9 percent - retail salespersons
9 percent - waiters and waitresses
9 percent - first-line supervisors, food prep and servers
9 percent - landscaping and groundskeeping
8 percent - bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
8 percent - office clerks
8 percent - first-line supervisors, office administrators

 

Share of new Tucson jobs by wage category, 2013-2017

Low wage ($7.90-$13.83) - 51 percent, ranked 6th
Medium wage ($13.84-$21.13) - 24.1 percent, ranked 7th
High wage (more than $21.14) - 24.9 percent, ranked 51st