Nevada jobless rate inches up in March

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 10:46 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada's unemployment rate inched up to 3.7 percent in March -- but remained below 4 percent for the seventh consecutive month.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today the jobless rate rose by three-tenths of a percentage point with an estimated 33,100 people out of work.

The rate was still below the national rate of 4.2 percent and California's 5.8 percent rate.

The department said the Las Vegas metropolitan statistical area registered an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. There were an estimated 23,200 jobless people in the area that includes Clark and Nye counties and Mohave County in Arizona.

Washoe County posted 3.6 percent unemployment, down four-tenths of a percentage point from February. There were an estimated 6,200 people out of work. The Carson City labor market, which includes Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties and Carson City, reported a 5 percent rate, down six-tenths of a point. Elko and Eureka counties recorded a 5 percent rate, down four-tenths of a point from February.

Job creation remained strong. Total employment grew to 947,200, up 4.7 percent from a year ago. Department Director Carol Jackson said the only soft spot was mining, which declined to 13,000 jobs, a loss of 4 percent since March a year ago.

Jackson said, "While the nation's manufacturing jobs have declined by nearly 2 percent since 1990 and California's manufacturing employment dipped by more than 5 percent -- Nevada leads the nation with a 60 percent increase in manufacturing employment.

"No other state has come close to Nevada's rate of manufacturing job growth during this decade, even though the sector still represents less than 5 percent of the state's total employment," she said. Manufacturing reported 42,100 jobs, up 1.4 percent from March 1998.

The service industry, which includes hotels and gaming, reported 403,800 jobs, up 5.3 percent from a year ago. Construction employment rose 6.3 percent to 84,500; transportation and public utilities increased 2.8 percent to 48,400 jobs; trade jumped 5.3 percent to 193,700 employed in the year-to-year comparison and government jobs increased by 3.9 percent to 116,600.

The department said employment in the Las Vegas area rose 5.9 percent to 684,700. Jobs in the service industries grew 6.3 percent to 305,000; construction was up 6.9 percent to 68,600; manufacturing rose 1.8 percent to 22,800; transportation jobs increased 3.9 percent to 35,000; trade rose 5.5 percent to 141,900 and government employment reached 75,000, up 6.1 percent.