In the News: Second Quarter 2025

This post contains items we have found in Arizona news websites and economic development releases where there are job figures recorded. It also includes items from the Arizona Job Connection Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification Act (WARN) search. While this list is not a complete description of activity during the last quarter, it does provide insight into current developments that affect Arizona’s employment base. Detailed information on individual announcements is available on the Reports and Presentations page (scroll to the bottom of the page). Graphs summarizing overall trends for Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson are below.

Carvana is opening a vehicle inspection and reconditioning center at its Chandler wholesale auction facility that will create 200 new jobs. Veterinary pharmacy company Wedgewood (parent of online Blue Rabbit platform) is opening a facility in Chandler that will employ 250 by 2027. Kansas-based construction firm Cerris opened an office in Gilbert that has already created 85 jobs. Trader Joe’s is planning a location in Goodyear and based on previous locations, can expect about 70 new jobs. Sam’s Club purchased land in Mesa for a new membership warehouse there, its tenth in Arizona. The typical location employs 150-175. HonorHealth is building a free-standing emergency department and urgent care center in Peoria that is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026 and employ 70-75. Target opened a location in Surprise in April with 200 employees (this was reported last quarter but with no timeline or confirmation of employment). The retailer is also planning stores in Buckeye and Mesa and will open a location in Queen Creek later this year. 

Battery maker Eternity Technologies Inc. selected Deer Valley for its new North American headquarters and battery manufacturing facility that will provide 50 new jobs.  TSMC announced in April that it will expand from three fabs to six in Phoenix, which would bring the eventual employment to 6,000. Currently there are about 3,000 working there. Mayo Clinic plans to expand its north Phoenix medical campus, greatly increasing clinical space and providing 3,500 additional jobs. Outdoor furniture manufacturer CC Patio opened a new facility in Phoenix that will increase production and create 75 jobs. Denver-based law firm Holland & Hart opened an office in Phoenix this spring with two environmental partners and more to be named soon.  

Berger Logistics will permanently close its Phoenix office by the end of May, leaving 121 employees without jobs. Order fulfillment/logistics firm Veyer filed a WARN notice in February advising of its intent to let 60 Phoenix employees go. General Motors is winding down its Arizona operations, shutting down its Cruise LLC operations and laying off 84 people between the Phoenix and Scottsdale. Tech company Block Inc. (formerly Square, Inc) submitted a WARN notice indicating 29 jobs lost in Maricopa County which would most likely be Scottsdale. Microchip Technology announced in March that it was stepping up the closure of the Tempe Fab 2 facility to May instead of September. The number of job losses remains around 500. KORE Power, which expected to open a battery plant in Buckeye that would have employed about 3,000, scrapped the project as loans from the U.S. Dept. of Energy never materialized. Electric truck maker Nikola filed bankruptcy in February and followed up with WARN notices for layoffs at its Phoenix headquarters (540 jobs) and Coolidge manufacturing facility (315 jobs). After Nikola announced it was filing bankruptcy and divesting of its Coolidge factory and employees, Lucid offered to purchase the facility and hire the 300 or so employees. 

Picklr will open an indoor pickleball facility in Oro Valley this spring that will create 20 jobs. Texas-based western wear retailer Cavender’s purchased a former Walgreens building in Tucson and plans a location there. 

Medical equipment and supply manufacturer SunMed LLC reported to the state that it was laying off 73 Tucson workers. A search for the company indicated that it had permanently closed. Medical device manufacturer Atalys Tucson, LLC laid off 30 this spring. Pima County Health Department laid off 25 grant-funded positions this spring due to a pause in grant funding (it had reported 22 jobs to the state). The University of Arizona indicated that funding losses for USAID would cause 6-8 people to be laid off. The University also reported that consolidation of six cultural and resource centers would lead to staff cuts though no specific numbers were given since the plans are still being developed. Higher Ground in Tucson, which offers services to young people and families, let the state know it had laid off 22 people. 

EVelution Energy plans to build a cobalt processing facility in the Yuma County town of Wellton that will employ about 100. Construction will begin late this year and the company will partner with Arizona Western College to develop a mineral metallurgical processing program. 

Craft and fabric retailer Joann filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February, signaling 530 stores nationally will close, including 17 in Arizona. WARN notices in March indicated 374 jobs for Maricopa County but no numbers for the rest of the state. Chorazon Behavioral Health Services in Casa Grande let go of 30 employees this spring. CVS pharmacy notified the state that it was laying off six people at its Douglas location. Charter school Center for Academic Success reported that 27 employees were let go in Douglas. The Flagstaff plant for plastic packaging firm Prent Corporation is closing, leaving 30 without jobs. Cross Docking & Warehouse Services informed the state that it was laying off 10 Nogales employees. Yuma medical center Comprehensive Integrative Care informed the state it was letting 20 people go. EQUUS Workforce Solutions laid off 13 Yuma employees. 

There were a number of layoff announcements in the southern region of the state this quarter that all fell into the professional and business services supersector, some of which had direct or inferred relation to federal contracts. LUKE Holdings Inc is a healthcare staffing firm for the U.S. government. The company filed WARN notices for Tucson, Nogales, and Yuma this spring totaling 107 layoffs: 19 for Nogales, 54 in Yuma, and 34 in Tucson. These were for the Border Patrol’s temporary processing facilities. SOSi (SOS International) reported to the state that it was letting go of 25 employees in Yuma. The company provides administrative and technical support to the U.S. Border Patrol and laid off 25 employees in Tucson at the same time. Deployed Resources, LLC indicated that 700 would be laid off in Yuma this spring. The company website says that it deploys temporary facilities and provides logistics management for government and commercial support for disasters or special events. DLP Services, which provides facility maintenance, construction, and janitorial services staffing, laid off 218 Yuma employees this spring. Security services firm Diversified Protection Corporation let go of 80 in Yuma this spring.