A group of unemployed construction workers march to the Legislative Building on the third day of the 2011 legislative session Wednesday, February 9, 2011 in Carson City. The number of construction jobs in the state last month stood at 40,000, ending a steady decline, as Las Vegas’ jobless rate was unchanged.
Friday, March 25, 2011 | 6:45 a.m.
Sun Coverage
CARSON CITY – The jobless rate in the Las Vegas area remained steady at 13.7 percent in February, the 25th consecutive month of double-digit unemployment.
But there were some positive signs with construction and hotel-casinos hiring more workers in Clark County.
The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today that preliminary figures show Nevada’s jobless rate dipped to 13.6 percent, down from the 14.2 percent in January. The national rate was 8.9 percent.
But the decline in the statewide unemployment rate was due to “a drop in the state’s labor force as opposed to general economic improvements,” said Bill Anderson, chief economist for the department.
“The labor force fell by 7,700 while the number of unemployed declined 8,700, suggesting that many workers have given up looking for work,” he said.
In the Las Vegas area, the number of workers increased by 3,500 in February from a month earlier, but the number of workers was still 5,100 below the number from February 2010. Total employment in the Las Vegas area stood at 793,500 in February.
Anderson said most of the February gains were in the public sector and reflect an increase in state government employment, marked by the end of the university system’s semester break.
He said a positive sign came in the number of construction workers on the job in the Las Vegas area, which increased to 40,000, ending a steady decline. It was 100 more workers than in January.
Employment at hotel-casinos reached 156,200, a jump of 1,000 workers over January in the Las Vegas area.
The department reported the number of jobs in trade, transportation and utilities fell by 800 workers to 142,900 last month in Southern Nevada. But manufacturing employment grew by 100 jobs to 18,300 compared to January.
Unemployment in the Reno-Sparks area dropped from 13.3 percent in January to 13.2 percent in February. Carson City’s jobless rate was 13.5 percent compared to 13.6 percent in January.
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