Nevada unemployment falls slightly in January

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 11:34 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Unemployment dropped slightly in Nevada in January, but the number of jobless shot up in the Las Vegas area, the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today.

Nevada's rate fell to 4 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from January. There were an estimated 42,300 people out of work.

Department Director Carol Jackson said Nevada's unemployment mirrors the national rate, which also was down. And Nevada is seven-tenths of a percentage point lower than neighboring California.

"Nevada continues to enjoy a healthy economy," Jackson said.

But the jobless rate in the Las Vegas area, which includes Clark and Nye counties in Nevada and Mohave County in Arizona, jumped from 3.6 percent in December to 4.4 percent in January with 32,300 people out of work.

In each section of the state, the hard numbers show unemployment increased in January. But the statewide figures are seasonally adjusted, producing a decline for Nevada overall.

Jackson said job growth in Nevada for 1999 was 6.4 percent, which exceeded original estimates.

In January, there were 999,600 people working, which was 58,700 more than a year ago. But the number of employed was down about 400 from December.

Jackson said most of the economy was strong, with mining an exception. "The effects of low gold prices still have a grip on rural Nevada's mining industry." She said there were 11,300 people working in mining in January, down 10.3 percent from a year ago.

Employment in the hotels, gaming and recreation industry reached 241,700, up 9.4 percent from January 1999. The number of jobs in the construction industry inched up to 89,300, a gain of only .4 percent, as building started to taper off in Las Vegas.

Trade employment totaled 206,400 in January, up 8.3 percent from the same month of a year ago. Transportation and public utilities accounted for 52,700 jobs, up 6.5 percent from a year ago. And government jobs grew by 2.9 percent to 117,800 in January.

In the Las Vegas area, the number of jobs in hotels, gaming and recreation rose to 191,100, up by 10.5 percent in the year-to-year comparison. Construction employment was off by 5.3 percent with 71,100 people on the job. Construction has been completed on most of the major resorts except the Aladdin.

Trade employment in Southern Nevada rose to 153,300, a 9 percent gain from January 1999; transportation and public utility jobs increased to 39,100, up 8 percent; manufacturing employment was up 3.5 percent to 23,500 jobs and the number of government workers totaled 77,700, up 6 percent.

The department reported unemployment in Washoe County rose 1.1 percentage points to 3.7 percent but was down 1.2 points from January 1999. There were an estimated 6,400 people out of work. Total employment rose to 167,200, or a gain of 3.2 percent from a year ago.

The Carson labor market area, which includes Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties, posted a 5.8 percent jobless rate, up 1.5 percent over the month. There were an estimated 3,090 people out of work and 48,780 employed, up 2.8 percent from a year ago..