SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cochise County's unemployment rate climbed to 6% during the first half of 2026, up from 4% during the same period last year, according to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity.
Research from the local Arizona @ Work office shows there are enough job seekers in the county to fill available workforce positions — but a skills and education gap, along with a slowly declining population, is making it difficult to match workers with employers.
Eric Grisham, a Business Services Representative with Arizona @ Work, said the local job market — including educators and healthcare workers — remains heavily dependent on skills and credentials.
"It is still very much a education skills driven environment," Grisham said.
He added that the county's population size presents a structural challenge.
"Because of our population, we will never be able to fill every job with our population. One, the population slowly declining," Grisham said.
Grisham said the job market has grown more competitive for workers over the last few years, and he urged job seekers not to give up.
"Well, my first and foremost bit of advice was would be don't get discouraged. It is very it's harder today to get a job than I think it's ever been," Grisham said.
He said the shift in employer attitudes has changed the dynamic for applicants.
"Now, businesses, yes, they need people, but they're not so desperate that they're going to bend over backwards for you," Grisham said.
Arizona @ Work is actively working with local employers to help bridge the gap between workforce needs and job seekers. Grisham said helping employers ultimately benefits the broader community.
"Because if we can help the employers, that will in turn, cause a ripple effect to help the job seekers, which means now they can help their families, which will help our economy. So it's it's that circle of life, so to speak," Grisham said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
