Arizona’s unemployment rate was flat last month, staying at 8.7 percent.  From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Mark Brodie reports.

MARK BRODIE: The state lost 3,000 jobs in December, adding 4,100 private sector positions.  Aruna Murthy, the Director of Economic Analysis with the state Department of Administration, says the state is in better shape than it was this time last year…although she acknowledges it can be tough to see that.

ARUNA MURTHY: "Although we are seeing gains in Arizona, the gains are not that strong to move that needle sufficiently down, so that’s where we are right now.  We are seeing gains, but we are not seeing gains strong enough to move the needle downwards."

MARK BRODIE: Murthy says even though the private sector added jobs last month, that increase was about half the ten-year average.  She says overall, Arizona saw about one percent job growth in 2011.

Read December's Unemployment Report