By Doug Frisbie, Global Marketing Director, Small Business

This week, from July 9th to July 10th our Facebook Community Boost tour brings us to Phoenix, AZ. Phoenix’s small businesses reside in good company — they are part of more than 500,000 Arizona-based small businesses, which as a group making up 97 percent of Arizona businesses.

By 2020, Facebook has pledged to train 1 million people and small business owners across the U.S. Our time in Pheonix during Community Boost, and the enduring partnerships we hope to build there throughout the week are part of that pledge.

Phoenix’s Growing Demand for Digital Skills
When Facebook heard that Phoenix wanted more digital skills training, this demand became a driving force behind our choice of Phoenix as a Community Boost city. A survey by Morning Consult of local small businesses found that both business owners and job seekers had an appetite for learning to improve competitiveness and accelerate business growth:

Demand for digital skills in the job market: When we spoke to the Phoenix small community about what are important factors when hiring employees, 3 in 4 said an individual’s digital skills were important. When asked about where a candidate went to school, less than half said that was a factor. Demand for social media skills: Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) small businesses said that having a good social media presence is important for their growth, but only about one in eight (12%)rated themselves as excellent in this area.

Come join us for two days at Events on Jackson (245 E Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004) to network with other small business owners and community leaders and learn everything from How to Connect with Local Customers and Instagram Stories School, to How to Build Community with Groups or How to Grow your Non-profit with Facebook. We look forward to seeing you.

Register for free or find the latest city announcements, news and program schedules at http://facebook.com/communityboost.