Sunlit Chemical, a Taiwanese chemical company serving the semiconductor industry, has chosen Phoenix as the company’s first U.S. location. 

The multi-million-dollar investment is yet another sign of Arizona’s place in the race to meet the worldwide demand for semiconductors.

The says it has 40 semiconductor manufacturers and supplier network businesses in its pipeline, representing 10,000 jobs and $45 billion of new capital investment. 

The Arizona Commerce Authority has developed and released the, a plan designed to advance the production of semiconductors for not only the state of Arizona but for the entire U.S. This plan has received the backing from higher education institutions including Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona, all of which are aligning their educational offering with the state’s workforce needs. 

“Arizona is proud to welcome Sunlit Chemical’s first manufacturing facility in the U.S.,â€� Gov. Doug Ducey said at the company’s groundbreaking earlier this year. 

“Sunlit’s decision is a testament to Phoenix’s advancement as a national and global leader in the semiconductor industry,� Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “Its new fabrication facility in north Phoenix adds to the quality jobs and research excellence significantly expanding in our region.�

The 900,000-square-foot facility will be an investment of $100 million on 17 acres. Construction will take place in two phases. The first phase will concern the production of high purity grade industrial chemicals which should be operational in 2023. The second phase will concern raw material purification and should be operational in 2025.

“Sunlit is excited to expand into Arizona,� Sunlit Group President Bryan Lin said. “This new milestone marks Sunlit’s commitment to our partners that we are ready to expand our reach beyond Asia and set sights on the global front.�

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Arizona’s economy continues to post record gains and steam forward as an innovative powerhouse. 

The July 2021 employment report from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity revealed the state’s private sector added more than 16,000 new jobs in July, which is “the only time in the last ten years that Arizona has added jobs in the month of July,� said Patrick Ptak, the senior vice president of executive initiatives at the Arizona Commerce Authority.

Unemployment on the decline

Following a precipitous rise in unemployment in 2020, Arizona is now on track to hit pre-pandemic lows.

According to the Arizona Commerce Authority, “Arizona jobs growth and recovery is outpacing the U.S. across every private sector.� While the American labor force is still below its peak in February of 2020, Arizona’s labor force is 1.3%, or 47,869 workers larger than it was in February 2020.

The professional and business services sector, leisure and hospitality, and the finance industry have seen large employment gains.

Geographical differences

While Arizona has seen jobs growth across the state, certain regions and cities have been impacted differently. Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Prescott and Flagstaff have experienced positive nonfarm jobs growth, while Sierra Vista, Douglas, Tucson, and Yuma have dipped.

Interestingly, from February of 2020 to July of 2021, only three economic regions have fully recovered from the pandemic’s effects on unemployment: Sierra Vista-Douglas, Lake Havasu City-Kingman, and Prescott.

Travel is back

The number of people traveling through airports is nearly back to its March 2020 high, signaling that people are flying again. 

Arizona’s Sky Harbor International Airport and Mesa Gateway airport generate tens of billions in economic impact for the state.

Despite the occasional business interruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s economy has proven resilient. Policymakers and elected officials are anxiously watching the spread of the Delta variant, however, and assessing its potential impact on the economy. 
For more resources on the vaccine and how and where to get vaccinated against COVID-19, visit .

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Employers across Arizona and the U.S. are facing worker shortages at record levels and business leaders and chambers of commerce are urging state and national lawmakers to invest in new workforce initiatives to help fill millions of job openings.

In April, employers reported a record-high 9.3 million open jobs, said Neil Bradley, Chief Policy Officer for the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce, who spoke at the organization’s recent summit, . In Arizona, 160,000 to 180,000 jobs were unfilled in March, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

“The problem is hurting retailers on Main Street and the nation’s largest employers in our biggest cities,� Bradley said. “When businesses do not have enough employees, they’re forced to turn down jobs and reduce the number of hours that they’re open.�

Almost 5,400 business leaders representing every state tuned in to the summit this month to discuss workforce challenges, share solutions and rally support for the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s new America Works Agenda initiative to address the “talent crisis.â€� 

The initiative recommends federal and state policy changes in three areas to expand employee pools: train more Americans for in-demand jobs, remove barriers to work, and double the number of visas available for legal immigrants.  

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was a keynote speaker who talked about the administration’s , which calls for funding 1 million apprenticeships in building trades, as well as digital apprenticeships in cybersecurity, software engineering, accounting, and quality assurance. 

America experiencing a “talent crisisâ€�    

America is facing a double-dose of workforce challenges, Bradley said. There are too many people without jobs. And there are too many jobs without skilled people to fill them.

A recent national survey of local chambers of commerce, 90 percent reported that it is “difficult� for businesses in their area to hire workers, with two-thirds reporting it was “very difficult,� Bradley said. Less than 1 percent said it was easy to fill jobs.

Many industries are being affected including agriculture, education, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, computer software, and construction. A recent survey of the commercial construction industry shows that 85 percent of contractors are having difficulty finding workers, he said. Of those, 34 percent have had to turn down work. 

“All this slows down the economy. Indeed, local chambers of commerce are twice as likely to say that a lack of workers is holding back the economy as they are to say that Covid is holding it back,â€� Bradley said. 

Call to businesses, stakeholders to rally for initiative   

The summit is part of a new initiative by the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Foundation, called , to mobilize industry and government to act quickly to address America’s “deepening worker shortage crisis.â€� 

CEOs, trade associations and chambers of commerce are encouraging their employees and members to call on state and federal lawmakers to adopt recommendations in the initiative. Here’s a sampling of recommendations in four key areas:

Upskill American workers

• Fund and support employer collaboratives and sector partnerships at the state and local levels tasked with building talent pipelines based on in-demand jobs and skills using their preferred training partners

Immigration reform 

• Double the cap on employment-based immigrant visas from 140,000 per year to 280,000, including seasonal agricultural workers and high-tech professionals
• Provide international students who graduate from U.S. universities with more opportunities to obtain employment-based green cards upon graduation
• Enhance and expand the opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain permanent residency so they can build their businesses here in the United States
• Create a new, geographically targeted visa program, along the lines of the Heartland Visa proposal, that will drive economic and population growth into American communities struggling with the serious economic and social problems caused by significant population loss

Education and training 

• Grow federal investments in employer-led job education and training programs
• Expand Pell grants for non-credit workforce training 
• Create “skills saving accountsâ€� to help employees and employers manage continuing education costs and avoid new student debt 

Remove barriers to work 

• Expand access to affordable, quality childcare for working parents
• Improve “second chanceâ€� hiring through public-private agreements to support employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals 
• Remove occupational licensing restrictions that make entering a new field time-intensive, cost-prohibitive, and restricts opportunities for mobility.

“We must arm workers with the skills they need, we must remove barriers that are keeping too many Americans on the sidelines, and we must recruit the very best from around the world to help fill high-demand jobs,â€� said Suzanne Clark, president and CEO of the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­, one of the keynote speakers at the summit. 

To view an analysis of the numbers behind the workforce crisis, visit: To view the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s America Works Agenda, a suite of legislative and regulatory solutions at the federal and state level to help address the crisis, go to:

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Two members of Congress on opposite sides of the political aisle talked to the business community Tuesday about what they are doing to help pave a path to citizenship for the nation’s immigrants, including millions of employees of all skill levels.    

Representative Kathy Manning (D-North Carolina) and Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) spoke about their efforts to provide such an avenue for “law-abiding, tax payingâ€� immigrants during a virtual Common Grounds forum hosted by the , the world’s largest business advocacy organization.  

The virtual was started this year to routinely bring together one Republican leader and one Democratic leader to find common ground on issues important to businesses and the nation’s economy. The hope is that, over a cup of coffee, the meetings will “brew bipartisanshipâ€� among the divided parties to find solutions that are in the best interest of the nation and economy. 

Immigration reform is a key goal of the U.S. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ and its members, including the Arizona Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ of Commerce & Industry.

Path to citizenship essential to new economy 

Manning and Salazar are each working on new comprehensive immigration reform packages, the Democrats’ U.S. Citizenship Act and the Republicans’ Dignity Plan. Meanwhile, the House already passed two bills last month that call for protections for Dreamers and farmworkers. Manning and Salazar voted in favor of each.   

Rep. Manning said the House Democrats newest package is “the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that we have been hoping for since the last comprehensive immigration bill passed — and that was in 1986.â€�

“When you think about how our economy has changed, how society has changed, how the world has changed since 1986, it makes you realize how long overdue our immigration reform is,â€� Manning said.  

Rep. Salazar said reforms for immigrant employees and their families are essential for sustaining the American economy, which is roaring back to life. 

“We have to change the way we encounter the whole immigration world,â€� Salazar said. “We have to allow for those people who have merit and will be good for the marketplace or whatever business owners in America need at this hour.â€�  

New to Congress, both Harvard educated   

Both Manning and Salazar are new to Congress. Both are Harvard educated. And both are members of the House . 

Congress has not found the will to find common ground on a comprehensive reform package. But the two said they are willing to try. 

Despite gridlock on immigration, both parties’ reform packages are similar in many respects. 

The Democrats’ U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021

Manning is working with colleagues on the 353-page , which was introduced to both houses in February by the Biden administration and Democrats. 

If passed, it would create the largest legalization program in U.S. history, providing an avenue for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants to become citizens and expedite the process for farmworkers.

Among the highlights:

Temporary legal status Undocumented individuals who have been in the U.S. for five years could apply for green cards if they pay their taxes and pass criminal and national security background checks. Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and immigrant farmworkers who meet specific requirements would be eligible for green cards immediately. After three years, all green card holders who pass additional background checks and demonstrate knowledge of English and U.S. civics could apply to become citizens. 

Stimulate the economy The bill includes a number of measures designed to stimulate the economy such as making it easier for graduates of U.S. universities with advanced STEM degrees to stay in the United States and improve access to green cards for workers in lower-wage sectors. The bill also provides dependents of H-1B visa holders work authorization, creates a pilot program to stimulate regional economic development, gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to adjust green cards based on macroeconomic conditions, and incentivizes higher wages for non-immigrant, high-skilled visas to prevent unfair competition with American workers.

Smarter border controls Funding would be allocated for technology and infrastructure to deploy technology to expedite screening and enhance the ability to identify narcotics and other contraband at every land, air, and sea port of entry. This includes high-throughput scanning technologies to ensure that all commercial and passenger vehicles and freight rail traffic entering the U.S. at land ports of entry and rail-border crossings along the border undergo pre-primary scanning. It also would authorize funding for plans to improve infrastructure at ports of entry to enhance the ability to process asylum seekers and detect, interdict, disrupt and prevent narcotics from entering the U.S. 

Funding to assist and negotiate with Central America The bill funds a $4 billion four-year inter-agency plan to address the underlying causes of migration in the region. It would include increasing assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras conditioned on their ability to reduce the corruption, violence and poverty that causes people to flee their home countries. 

The Republicans’ Dignity Plan  

A few weeks ago, Salazar and other congressional Republicans presented a similar comprehensive package that is in the working stages. It places more emphasis on border security. 

In presenting the package, Salazar stated that dignity and redemption must be part of the solution for immigration reform, particularly for hardworking immigrants who have been waiting for years, even decades, for a road to citizenship.   

Among the highlights in the Dignity Plan are:

Border security New funding to enhance border security including “an impenetrable border infrastructure system� that would include enhanced physical barriers and new technology to secure ports of entry.

Immediate protection for Dreamers The bill would provide immediate legal status for Dreamers, young adults who were brought to the country as children by their undocumented parents or relatives. The bill provides a 10-year path to a renewable legal status if they have not committed any crimes. 

Asylum reform The package calls for cracking down on fraud and abuse within the asylum program and improving processes for accepting individuals fleeing natural disasters, war and other crises in their home countries. In turn, it would enhance  enforcement of immigration laws to “ensure criminals are removed immediately.â€�

Legal status for non-felons The proposal also would pave the way for non-felon immigrants to gain legal status and expand visas for agricultural workers. Funding to assist immigrants to attain English language proficiency is also included.

Mandatory E-Verify The bill would require companies to implement in hiring all employees to certify that they are not undocumented citizens. Arizona is one of at least 10 states that require E-Verification for employment.  

Employers urged to contact elected leaders 

In concluding the forum, Manning and Salazar said business leaders and employers can help get reforms passed by contacting their local and federally-elected officials.   

“I think the best way to help is to gather your stories and call your members of Congress and call your senators, particularly call your senators, and tell them what your experience is,� Manning said.

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Marc Penterman left a 20-year career in the Air Force to land a job at Walmart in Phoenix. Now, he’s quickly moving up the ladder in his “encoreâ€� profession. 

Initially, he was hired as assistant manager overseeing Home Lines where he quickly adjusted to being in charge. Eight months later, he’s now responsible for a team that restocks the shelves at the store.  

“When I started working at Walmart less than a year ago, they gave me a veteran badge to wear and it made me very proud,â€� said Penterman, who was a security force officer in the Air Force. “The badge is like a medal of honor. When both customers and employees see it, they treat me with such warmth and thank me for my service.â€� 

Penterman is one of 265,000 veterans who have been hired by Walmart since it 

introduced its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in 2013, surpassing its goal to hire  250,000 new veteran associates by 2020. In Arizona, more than 6,400 have been hired

Hiring and promoting those who serve 

The Welcome Home program started as a mission to hire those who served their country and help them move up the career ladder, said Brynt Parmeter, senior director for Walmart Military Programs. 

Of the veterans hired, more than 44,000 have been promoted to roles of greater responsibility within a Walmart or Sam’s Club.

First announced on Memorial Day 2013, the Welcome Home program’s initial goal was to hire 100,000 veterans by the end of 2018. Two years later, the company expanded that goal to 250,000 by the end of 2020.

On Veterans Day 2018, Walmart also broadened the scope of its commitment to provide  employment opportunities for spouses with its Military Spouses Career Connection. To date, the company has hired 19,045 associates and continues offering any military spouse hiring preference when applying for a job.

Stepping up its commitment to veterans  

Parmeter is now looking to step up Walmart’s commitment to veterans and the communities they serve. He said his team is focusing on efforts to help veterans and their family members in employment, entrepreneurship, learning, and health and wellness. 

“We’re proud of our achievements and the opportunities presented to the brave service members who’ve honorably defended our country,� Parmeter said. “Now, it’s our responsibility to continue preparing these men and women for meaningful futures full of economic opportunity and overall well-being.�

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a long history of supporting veterans, service members and their families. 

Since 2011, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have invested more than $40 million in programs that support job training, education and public/private community-based initiatives.

About Walmart in Arizona 

In Arizona, Walmart has 126 retail units and 33,616 employees. Last fiscal year,  Walmart spent $1.6 billion with Arizona suppliers, supporting 32,767 Arizona supplier jobs. 

During that time, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $24.5 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in Arizona. 

For more information about Walmart’s commitment to hire and promote veterans, service members and military families, visit:  .To see all of the programs that Walmart is involved in to help veterans in communities worldwide, go to:

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AcronisSCSVets, a nonprofit created last year to provide free cyber IT training and internationally-recognized certifications for veterans, has set a goal to put 50,000 veterans into the industry over the next five years. 

This month, the Scottsdale-based group graduated its first cohort of 14 top performers. Ten already have secured cybersecurity/IT jobs. 

Before COVID-19 hit, there was an enormous workforce shortage in the industry. Now the need is even more urgent, said John Zanni, the founder of AcronisSCSVets and CEO of Acronis SCS, a leader in edge data security and cyber protection in the U.S. public sector.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen nearly a 70 percent increase in cyberattacks,� Zanni said during the virtual commencement ceremony for the new grads. “The current fear and confusion present an opening for bad actors to capitalize on this and send malicious emails pretending they are the World Health Organization or the CDC to try to get to your systems.

“Once open, however, these attachments and links introduce ransomware and other attacks that can spread throughout the system, presenting particular challenges for public sector organizations trying to keep critical constituent services up and running while practicing social distancing.�

Companies of all sizes also are at risk, as hundreds of thousands of cybersecurity jobs go unfilled, Zanni said. 

Unfilled cybersecurity jobs to reach almost 3.5 million next year 

By 2022, the number of unfilled positions is expected to reach 1.8 million in the U.S., according to a from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education. 

Globally, there are expected to be 3.5 million job vacancies by 2021, to Cyber Security Ventures that has been tracking the jobs data for the past eight years.  

Of those applying for cybersecurity jobs, fewer than one in four are qualified, according to a 2018 in MIT Technology Review.

Placing “underemployed� veterans in salaried jobs

In creating AcronisSCSVets, Zanni also wanted to help underemployed veterans. 

Though veterans overall have higher employment rates than non-veterans, they are underemployed in larger numbers, meaning they are not getting enough paid work or not doing work that makes full use of their skills and abilities. 

In fact, veterans are 37 percent more likely to be underemployed than nonveterans, shows a recent by LinkedIn. 

Veterans like Shaun Johnson. After twenty years in the U.S. Navy, Johnson found himself earning an hourly wage in the produce section of a local grocery store. Then, he heard about the AcronisSCSVets program. He applied and the rest is history. 

Johnson now holds a salaried supervisory IT role in Arizona at a major name brand company.

“With this knowledge and tools that (the program) gave me, I was not only able to apply for a level 1 help desk job, I was able to secure a supervisory position, and a couple of weeks later, I was offered the opportunity to become a tech systems delivery manager.â€� 

Nine of the other graduates in the first cohort also have secured jobs in the field. Three others are seeking higher education or certifications. One is seeking employment. 

Goal to provide free training to 3,000 veterans in Arizona, 50,000 in U.S. 

Acronis SCSVets plans to train 50,000 veterans, service members, and military spouses nationwide over the next five years. 

In Arizona, it plans to train 3,000 during that time. Currently, there are nearly 13,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the state, according to .  

Ultimately, the organization would like to train more if it can secure appropriate funding from donations or grants, Zanni said.

Zero cost to veterans seeking cyber careers

At zero cost to qualified veterans, the program arms participants with credentials, skills, and resources necessary to secure entry level jobs in IT and cybersecurity. There’s also social services support and career services built in to ensure success. 

“Our students are prepared to excel in public and private sector organizations of all sizes, though our program is particularly beneficial for small- and medium-sized businesses, which are in critical need of qualified cyber talent, account for the majority of open U.S. jobs, and often lack veteran-specific hiring programs,â€� Zanni said.   

What AcronisSCSVets offers

• Cyber Certifications The curriculum prepares participants to obtain stacked cyber certificates, including internationally-recognized CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Windows 10, and Acronis SCS credentials.

• Career skills workshops and social services support Participants have access to quarterly, in-person, civilian-led career skills workshops, covering everything from social media

engagement to resumé building and mock interviews, and ongoing life skills resources and social services support.

• Career pipelines After obtaining the right certificates, participants are connected with cyber and tech employers from a diverse and growing pool of industry partners.

For more information, to apply for the program or to give a donation, visit: .

About Acronis SCS

Acronis SCS is an American cyber protection and edge data security company dedicated to serving the unique backup, anti-ransomware, disaster recovery, and enterprise file sync and share needs of the US public sector. Acronis SCS products are built and supported in the United States by US citizens.

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“This is going to rock our world,� said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland. “We are so excited for [Lucid] to be here.�

Electric vehicle company Lucid Motors held a “ground-building� ceremony for its new Casa Grande facility Monday.

The company decided to plant a tree rather than break ground in the traditional way. Lucid Vice President of Manufacturing Peter Hochholdinger said the action represents the company’s dedication to the continuous growth of not only the company but the community as well.

“We are committed to Arizona for a very long run,â€� Hochholdinger said. “Right here, in just about one year’s time, we will begin the production of the best electric vehicle in the world — the Lucid Air.â€�

Lucid will build its facility over the next year.

“Our first phase of production…represents over $300 million of capital investment and several hundred jobs,� Hochholdinger said.

“Throughout the course of this year we’ll see this factory going up, and it will go up in a structured, logical way, and I believe very much in baby steps,â€� Lucid CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson said. “I think that people will see through the course of this construction that Lucid really is the real deal, that we’re here to stay and we’re going to create an amazing product here in Arizona.â€�

Once built, the new facility is expected to create a capital investment of more than $700 million, adding $32 billion in economic impact for Casa Grande and Pinal County in the next 20 years.

The facility is also expected to create roughly 4,800 direct and indirect jobs by 2029, according to the Arizona governor’s office.

“This is one of the most significant job announcements in recent memory,â€� Gov. Doug Ducey said at the event. “Lucid Motors looked at over 60 different markets and 13 states, and they chose Arizona. Make no mistake, as Peter said, this investment can transform the economy in Pinal County and Casa Grande for years to come…We can’t wait to see your state-of-the-art, made-in-Arizona vehicles on our roads.â€�

Lucid will manufacture its Lucid Air electric vehicles at the new facility, starting with 15,000 units through 2021 and increasing to hundreds of thousands by 2026 or 2027.

According to Rawlinson, the Air is a “world-class� product with a 400-mile range, making it the first inter-city electric car.

“This is one small step for us today; it’s a baby step… But if you put all these steps together, you become an irresistible force,â€� Rawlinson said.

Lucid’s new facility will be in Casa Grande’s industrial area, which currently has a direct and indirect impact of roughly 6,000 jobs and $327 million in personal income, according to McFarland.

“If you add the 2,200 additional jobs from Lucid, that’s a huge impact in this community,â€� McFarland said. “Hav[ing] that first car roll off in December of next year, 2020. It’s going to be an amazing thing to watch.â€�

“We want to change the world and make it a better place, and in order to do that we have to think big. And this is the site that enables that vision to become reality,� Rawlinson said.

Also in attendance were Pinal County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Goodman and Gov. Claudia Pavlovich of Sonora, Mexico.

To learn more about Lucid, .

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