Nevada’s unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 percent in 2012

By Cy Ryan

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 | 4:50 p.m.

Nevada’s unemployment rate fell to 11.1 percent during 2012, signaling a slow economic recovery.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported Thursday that the rate fell 2.1 percentage points from 2011.

And 18,100 more workers were employed in 2012 than 2011, all of them in private business. “The private sector led the way with an average increase of 19,400 jobs, while the public sector lost 1,300 jobs,” the department said.

But employment is still 157,600 jobs below the peak level in 2007 before the recession hit.

Department Chief Economist Bill Anderson said, “Employment levels in Nevada are increasing but the growth has lagged national trends due to the dependence of a healthy national and international economy to feed disposable income into Nevada’s leisure, hospitality and gaming industries.”

The 11.1 percent unemployment rate is below the agency’s prediction of 11.6 percent.