As many as 11,000 out-of work Arizonans will lose jobless benefits this summer as Congress pares jobless aid for the long-term unemployed.

At the worst point of the economic downturn, state residents received as many as 99 weeks of jobless aid. Starting June 22, they will receive 79 weeks. And if the state's jobless rate falls significantly, aid could be reduced to 54 weeks later this year, according to one state employment official.

Arizona Department of Economic Security staff members this week will begin notifying people who will be affected by the cuts.

Under federal rules, people scheduled to lose their benefits in the coming weeks are required to go to a one-on-one meeting with a career counselor from a local workforce agency to discuss their job prospects. If they do not attend the session, their benefits will be immediately suspended, DES officials said.

A total of 89,462 Arizona residents are receiving jobless benefits, with 44,723 of them getting federal jobless aid, according to state figures as of Friday.

Arizona's economy continues to gain strength but is still suffering the effects of the Great Recession. Unemployment remains significantly higher than normal, and the state is three years from a full recovery, according to one estimate.

When Congress renewed emergency jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed this winter, lawmakers added triggers that would gradually decrease how many people are eligible for aid, said Mark Darmer, a deputy assistant director at the DES.

"We anticipated this," Darmer said. "This could not have gone on forever."

Congress initially created the federal benefits to help families survive the waves of layoffs that were common during the financial crisis that hobbled the U.S. economy.

In addition to 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits, eligible workers could receive an additional 53 weeks of federal jobless aid. More weeks of federal benefits were added later.

This past winter, Congress agreed to continue the program but also made changes, including provisions that shorten eligibility.

Arizona's three-month average jobless rate is likely to fall below 8.5 percent when May jobless figures are announced Thursday. When the state hits that target, officials must begin phasing out benefits for workers who get the final weeks of aid.

This is not the first time in recent years that the total number of weeks of jobless aid has fluctuated.

Last year, state lawmakers rejected Gov. Jan Brewer's call to change a state law that would have allowed Arizonans to continue to get the final 20 weeks of the 99 weeks of aid. That shortened benefits to 79 weeks from 99 weeks.

In 2012, from February through June, the maximum rose to 89 weeks. U.S. lawmakers added additional weeks to make up for the benefits when some state legislatures, like Arizona's, declined to make their states eligible for more aid.

If the three-month average of Arizona's unemployment rate falls below 7 percent this year, more Arizonans could lose benefits.

Darmer said he believes that is unlikely. The national jobless rate ticked up slightly in May, and it's unlikely that Arizona's rate would fall that quickly.

The number of Arizonans looking for work, 223,700, is much larger than the number receiving jobless aid. Many do not qualify for various reasons, including those laid off who worked part time, were self-employed or are recent graduates.

The people who will lose their jobless aid this summer are workers who probably need expert assistance with their job search.

"People who had been in jobs for longer periods of time who got laid off are not as acclimated to today's job market," said Kathy Thiessen, a supervisor at Phoenix Workforce Connection, one of the workforce agencies that will counsel workers who will lose benefits.

The agency will tell job seekers about free services that it offers, including job-search help and job-training grants. Staff members will also offer assistance with resumes and a more effective job- search strategy, Thiessen said.

Economists and local leaders have grown more optimistic in recent months because several economic indicators show Arizona is finally past the worst of the downturn.

More Arizonans are finding work. The state jobless rate was 8.2 percent in April, compared with 9.6 percent in April 2011. State economists expect the state to add 47,100 jobs in 2012.

Meanwhile, metro Phoenix home prices rose 25 percent in April compared with the same month a year earlier. Consumer spending is up and bankruptcies, although still high, are declining.

But experts caution that the state's economy has a way to go before it fully recovers.

Arizona lost about 314,000 jobs from October 2007 to September 2010. As of March, it had regained about 78,000 of those jobs, Arizona State University economist Lee McPheters has said.

The state isn't expected to replace all those jobs until 2015.