ASBA News, Arizona Jobs Report, 17,000 Jobs added in March

ASBA News, Arizona Jobs Report, 17,000 Jobs added in March <br /> <br />asba.com <br />sequencemediagroup.com <br />Arizona Business News providing a business news update from April <br />23. <br />Despite adding 17,000 more jobs, Arizona's unemployment rate remains unchanged at 7.3% for the month. "As there's some growth, there's an equal amount of people that just can't find that right opportunity," says Ryan Naylor, founder of Local Work, an Arizona-based hyper-local job board focused on helping local job seekers find local quality jobs , who recently spoke with Arizona Business News. A lot of Arizona companies and hospitals are hiring 100 or more employees this month, including Chipotle, Verizon Wireless and Aetna Healthcare. <br />More consumers than ever are consulting online reviews as a first step in deciding what products and services to buy and local businesses to buy from, with a jump to 85% from 70% in the past two years. <br />Those who didn't sign up for health insurance through the government marketplace by March 31, may have to wait until October to buy a plan, even outside the marketplace. It's an economic decision for health insurers to stay viable by attracting young, health people who don't require expensive care. If they're open year-round, they are more likely to attract those who are sick, newly diagnosed and in need of immediate care. Meritus, an Arizona-based non-profit insurer, says it intends to sell coverage outside of the open enrollment period and will be the only one in Arizona to do so. For more information on Meritus, go to asba.com <br />In celebration of small business week, the Association of Small Business Administrators is honoring Arizona entrepreneurs and small business champions for their contributions to the economy in May, in Scottsdale, Arizona. <br />Arizona Business News, a featured network of Sequence Media Group, is brought to you by the ASBA, Arizona Small Business Association.