Jobless rates held steady in Nevada in December

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 11:23 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Unemployment fell in the Las Vegas area in December to 3.7 percent, the lowest since at least September 1962, a state report said today.

"We have never seen it any better," said Mike Clark, an economist for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. "We have to go back to 1962 to find a comparable figure."

Clark said there have been different methods to measure the unemployment through the years but this rate "is as good as it's ever been."

While unemployment inched up in other metropolitan areas in Nevada, the department said the number of jobless in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area dropped to 25,500, down 1,000 from November. And there was a one-tenth of a percent drop from the November 3.8 percent.

Statewide unemployment continued at 3.9 percent, the lowest rate since 1978. That compares with the national rate of 4.7 percent.

"Nevada's healthy jobless picture and our continued 4.8 percent job growth rate are indicators that Nevada's economy remains quite healthy," said Carol Jackson, director of the employment department.

Part of the reason for the low unemployment, Jackson said, is that California created 365,000 new jobs in 1997. That reduced the number of job seekers who might have come to Nevada in search of work.

A department spokeswoman, however, said there is an anticipated small upswing in unemployment in January and February because of layoffs in the mining industry due to the low price of gold.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Clark and Nye counties in Nevada and Mohave County in Arizona, reported total employment at 660,600, up 6.8 percent from a year ago.

The number of construction jobs in the area grew 7.2 percent to 66,800 in the year-to-year comparison. Employment in hotels, casinos and recreation business rose by 3.7 percent to 167,700 in the Las Vegas area.

The department said wholesale and retail trade increased by 6.5 percent to 135,200 people employed; the number of government workers rose by 7.2 percent to 70,000 and transportation and public utilities reported a 3.2 percent gain in employment to 31,900.

The Reno area registered a 3.3 percent unemployment rate in December, up one-tenths of a percent with an estimated 5,600 people out of work. Total employment reached 166,300, up 3.7 percent.

The jobless rate in the Carson City area jumped to 5.8 percent, up three-tenths of a percent with 2,900 unemployed. Total employment in the area that includes Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties and Carson City, was 48,650, down two-tenths of a percent in the year-to-year comparison.

Elko and Eureka counties posted a 4 percent increase in unemployment, up from 3.6 percent in November. That's apparently due to the early layoffs in mining. There were 890 unemployed, up 80 people from November. Total employment over the year rose 2.5 percent to 21,340.

The department computes rural Nevada on a quarterly basis. It said in the final three months of the year Storey County posted a low 3.5 percent and Lincoln County had the highest at 7.8 percent.

Jackson said total employment statewide in December grew to 865,900, up 5.9 percent in the year-to-year comparison. Mining was the only industry to loose jobs, dropping 2 percent to 14,700 employees.

Construction employment jumped 7.9 percent to 86,500 workers in Nevada; manufacturing was up 3.3 percent to 40,700 employees; hotels, gaming and recreation registered a 2.8 percent increase to 218,000; trade grew by 4.8 percent to 189,900 and the number of government workers rose 5.9 percent to 112,100.