Nevada sees unemployment fall to 9.7 percent, sheds No. 1 ranking

By Cy Ryan

Friday, March 15, 2013 | 8:02 a.m.

CARSON CITY — Nevada’s unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent in January, and the state no longer has the highest rate in the nation. That’s down from 9.8 percent in December and lower than the rate in Rhode Island, officials said.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today that unemployment has been declining for 18 months. There were an estimated 132,600 people out of work in January.

Gov. Brian Sandoval said some of the industries that were hardest hit by the recession, such as construction and manufacturing, appeared to have stabilized and are on the path to improvement.

In Clark County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 10 percent in December to 10.2 percent in January.

Bill Anderson, chief economist for the department, said that “the state’s economy continued to produce new jobs at a decent pace, adding a seasonally adjusted 6,600 jobs over the month.”

Statewide, there were 1,237,600 persons employed in January, about 1,000 more than in January 2012.

Manufacturing had 39,000 workers, up by 600 from the same month in 2012. Trade, transportation and utilities grew by 7,800 workers to 222,800 over the previous year. Casino hotels and gaming reported 212,100 employed, an increase of 4,000 workers from January 2012.

In the Las Vegas area, construction employment was at 26,700, an increase of 2,000 from January 2012. Trade, transportation and trade had 156,900 on the job, up 4,700 from a year ago, and casinos and hotels employed 175,900 people, up 1,700 from January 2012.

The jobless rate in Washoe County declined to 10.8 percent, compared to 12.5 percent a year ago. Carson City’s rate fell to 11.2 percent from the 13 percent posted in January 2012.