The newest state employment report shows that over 13,000 vacant jobs were filled in April, decreasing Arizona’s unemployment rate to a figure not seen since the 1970s.

Doug Walls with the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity says April’s unemployment rate was 3.2%, the lowest on record since 1976.

“Along with that, we did see month-over-month gains in the Arizona labor force, increasing by over 8,300 individuals," said Walls.

Walls says 10 of 11 state sectors saw employment increases, and the low unemployment rate has created an unusual job market, with employers having to compete for the remaining available employees.

“With the increased quits rate, with the lower unemployment rate, we have seen competition among employers for that available labor starting to heat up, and that’s reflected, in part, in the increases to the private sector average hourly earnings,” says Walls.

Walls says the rate at which employees in Arizona quit increased from 3.3% to 4.5%, and that the state is watching that figure closely to see if the trend continues.