Thursday, April 4, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Unemployment in Nevada in February inched down to 5 percent with an estimated 43,200 people out of work, the state reported.
The rate was 0.1 percent lower than in January when there were 46,400 people out of work. The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation also said Wednesday that it was lower than the 5.5 percent national average.
The agency said the jobless rate in the Las Vegas statistical area dropped from 5.5 percent in January to 5 percent in February. There was an estimated 31,100 people jobless, down 2,500 from January in the area that includes Clark and Nye counties and Mohave County, Ariz.
Department Director Carol Jackson said the statewide jobless rate has been moving from 5 to 5.2 percent for the past six months. She said that coupled with 8.2 percent job growth over the year shows Nevada's employment economy is strong.
"Although the volume of new residents moving into Nevada will make it difficult to lower the unemployment rate any further, anticipated continued strong job growth should keep the unemployment rate from rising greatly," Jackson said.
Total industrial employment in the state reached 818,300 in February, up 61,900 from the same month of 1995. In the Las Vegas area, it rose to 571,600 for February, up 9.2 percent for the year.
The department said construction employment rose 22.2 percent in the year-to-year comparison. In the Las Vegas reporting area, it was up 27.1 percent with 53,400 jobs.
The service industries, which include casinos and hotels, reached 356,300 in employment, up 6.9 percent. The Las Vegas area had a 7.2 percent employment growth to 261,900 jobs.
In the breakdown, the department reported Washoe County's unemployment rate fell from 5.4 percent in January to 5.2 percent in February with an estimated 8,600 jobless.
In the Carson City area, which includes Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties, the unemployment rate dropped from 8 percent in January to 7.8 percent in February with an estimated 4,060 people out of work.
The department said the Elko-Eureka counties area had a 6.5 percent unemployment rate, down from 7 percent in January. There were an estimated 1,380 jobless.
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