July Nevada jobless rate slips 0.2 percent

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 1998 | 3:52 a.m.

The number of people who were out of work fell to 4.2 percent, down from 4.4 percent in June and 0.3 percent lower than the national rate. California had 5.6 percent jobless.

"When we compare Nevada's robust job growth to the nation's over-the-year 2.6 percent and California's 2.9 percent, our 4.4 percent over-the-year job growth is impressive and continues to be the envy of many other states," said Carol Jackson, director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

While the seasonably adjusted unemployment figure in the southern part of the state fell by 0.1 percent in the June-July period, the declines in the north were far more impressive.

The Las Vegas metropolitan statistical area, which includes Clark and Nye counties in Nevada and Arizona's Mohave County, dropped from 4.7 percent to 4.6 percent.

The Reno area decreased from 4.1 percent to 3.5 percent. Carson City's labor market area, which also includes Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties, saw a 5.3 percent rate in July compared with 6.1 percent the month before. Elko's labor market area, composed of Elko and Eureka counties, fell from 6.1 percent to 5 percent.

The Elko-area's drop was significant since mining - the region's economic mainstay - was the only industry to show a decline this year, losing 800 jobs since Jan. 1.

The big gainer was the tourism-driven service industries with 12,200 jobs as Bellagio began hiring in anticipation of its October opening in Las Vegas.

Other big increases were construction at 7,800, trade up 7,400 and federal, state and local government - including education - with 6,100 more employees.

"With the new business development on the drawing board and planned and current business expansions, we see no downward trend in jobs creation through the first quarter of 1999," Ms. Jackson said.