Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Economy:

Nevada unemployment rate holds steady at 11.6 percent

CARSON CITY — The unemployment rate rose to 12.1 percent in June in the Las Vegas area with an estimated 119,100 workers jobless or 3,000 more than in May.

But it’s a better picture than in June 2011, when there were 142,800 jobless in Southern Nevada.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said Friday that the state’s jobless rate held steady in June at 11.6 percent, the same as in May. The number on the job rose to 1,206,800 in June, up 1 percent from May.

Nevada’s unemployment rate was still higher than the national jobless rate of 8 percent. “This month’s employment numbers indicate the economy is continuing to grow at a slow but modest pace,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said. “This is the 12th straight month of positive news.”

Total employment in the Las Vegas area hit 861,800, up 12,600 workers or 1 percent compared to June 2011.

Construction employment in the Las Vegas area in June inched up to 36,500, or 1,500 more than in May. It still trailed the 37,300 construction jobs in June 2011.

Employment in casino hotels and gaming totaled 164,600, down 400 workers from May in the Las Vegas area, the agency reported. But there were 2,600 more employed in the industry compared to the same month of a year ago.

Employment in trade, transportation and utilities registered gains compared to May and to June 2011 in the Las Vegas area. There were a reported 151,500 people on the job, up by 300 workers from May and 3,400 from June last year.

The department said the unemployment for Reno-Sparks reached 11.7 percent, up from 11.5 percent in May but down from the 13.3 percent in June 2011. Total employment reached 197,700, up 0.5 percent from June 2011.

Unemployment in the Carson City area inched up to 11.8 percent in June, compared to 11.6 percent in May and 12.9 percent in June a year ago.

Unemployment in the Elko area rose to 6.3 percent in June, up from the 6.1 percent in May but down from 12.9 percent in June 2011.

Bill Anderson, chief economist for the department, said there has been renewed job growth in the leisure-hospitality industry driven by visitation gains in Southern Nevada.

“Since reaching a recessionary low of a seasonally adjusted 304,500 in November 2009, nearly 20,000 jobs have been added in this industry,” he said.

He said professional-business service jobs stand 5,000 higher than a year ago in June. Jobs in the health care-social assistance field rose 1,200 from May to June.

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