More than 100 percent of private sector jobs in Arizona have been recovered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the August employment report. The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity report showed that Arizona has recovered 325,500 private-sector jobs since April 2020, representing 101 percent of private-sector jobs lost. Between July and August, Arizona’s unemployment fell by about 13,000 people. The unemployment rate dropped from 6.6 percent to 6.2 percent, marking the largest rate decline of the year. “The last year and a half have challenged Arizonans like never before,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a press release last Thursday. “But thanks to the ingenuity and perseverance of our hard-working employees and business community, Arizona’s recovery is in full swing, with a real momentum headed in the right direction.” The state is 97 percent recovered from the pandemic when government jobs are included. This makes Arizona the state …