Sales Careers Phoenix Bolstered by Improving Retail Industry

The retail industry is providing some encouraging news for those pursuing sales careers Phoenix (Click here).

A recent report from the Arizona Department of Revenue found that annual retail sales throughout the state increased by 4 percent to $5 billion during December 2010, marking the second consecutive month of retail sales growth and the best sales in three years.

However, that increase will not help the state emerge from its current budget deficit, according to The Arizona Republic. During the first six months of the current fiscal year, the state spent $5.9 billion and took in only $4.9 billion, leaving a $1 billion shortfall.

Here's a look at how each retail sector fared during December:

• Motor vehicle sales - Increased by 21.5 percent over the year to a total of $462.3 million.
• Restaurants and bars - Increased by 11 percent over the year.
• Clothing stores - Increased by 6.6 percent over the year.
• Furniture and home furnishing stores - Increased by 5.5 percent over the year. 
• Miscellaneous retail - Increased by 5 percent over the year.
• General merchandise stores - Declined by 2.6 percent over the year.
• Building material, lawn and garden stores - Declined by 15.4 percent over the year.

While the retail industry is usually a good indicator of how the overall economy is performing, Phoenix jobs don't seem to be recovering as quickly, as the area continues to see a declining workforce and a growing unemployment rate.

During January, the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale area's unemployment rate increased from 8.4 percent to 9.3 percent, after dropping from 8.5 percent during December. That latest increase keeps the area's rate above the national average at the time of 9 percent.

The Phoenix area employed about 1,681,700 workers during January, which is down from 1,713,900 workers during December and only a .4 percent increase from last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.