WINNEMUCCA - Nevada's unemployment rate rose 0.4 of a percentage point, to a seasonally adjusted 12 percent in July. However, it is still down year over year and 2 percentage points below the recessionary peak of 14 percent, said Bill Anderson, chief
economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. The 12 percent rate of joblessness equates to 163,700 people out of work in the state. While not directly comparable to the state's seasonally adjusted figure, the Las Vegas metro area had the highest unemployment rate amongst the state's three population centers, at 12.9 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in July.
In Carson City, the July unemployment rate stood at 12.2 percent. The Reno-Sparks
MSA tallied a 12 percent rate, Anderson said.
At the county-level, the state's rural regions continue to have the lowest jobless rates. Lander County, with a rate of 5.7 percent in July, leads the way. The July jobless rate is slightly up from June's figure of 5.3 percent. Since January, according to state data, the county's jobless rate has ranged from 6.6 percent to 5.2 percent.
Esmeralda is next lowest, at 6.5 percent, followed by Elko County's 6.7 percent. The highest unemployment rates continue to be found in the "bedroom communities" of Nye (15.5 percent) and Lyon (15.3 percent) counties.
Over the past 12 months, the Nevada economy has added 10,300 jobs, with 12,600 new positions in private establishments being partially offset by losses in the public sector. The leisure and hospitality sector continues to be the driving force behind Nevada's job growth, providing 5,100 new jobs over the year and 1,200 over the month.
"I am pleased that job growth continued for a 13th consecutive month, but against the backdrop of a weak national economy not all the news was good," Gov. Brian Sandoval said. "As part of Nevada's slow recovery, our state experienced a slight uptick in unemployment in July, as occurred in the country as a whole. This news is further evidence that we must continue business development efforts to attract new companies and support the expansion of existing companies to get more Nevadans back to work."
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