Nevada unemployment rate slides down in January

Monday, March 12, 2001 | noon

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- The jobless rate fell to 4.2 percent in Nevada in January, the same rate as the national average but lower than California, the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today.

There were an estimated 47,000 people out of work statewide, the department said. The rate in December was 4.4 percent. And California recorded a 4.5 percent jobless rate in January.

Department Director Myla Florence said "As much of the nation holds its breath over the economy, Nevada fared well as we entered the new millennium -- unemployment was down slightly, and job growth continued on a slower, but steady upward trend."

She said "Nevada's economy has not been affected by nationwide economic uncertainty."

And there is "positive activity," with new or expanding businesses, he said. For instance Wal-Mart Corp., opened three stores in the Las Vegas area in January, employing about 1,380 people. Thomas & Mack Development Group announced plans for the Las Vegas Tech Center II, a $125 million project in northwest Las Vegas. Nordstrom plans to open a store next year in the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. And two Las Vegas area firms that provide services via the Internet -- Travelscape.com and 21st Century Financial Services Inc., -- plan to add a combined 300 jobs in the next year.

The department said the Las Vegas metropolitan statistical area, which includes Clark and Nye counties in Nevada and Mohave County in Arizona, posted a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, up six-tenths of a percentage point over December. There were 36,100 people out of work.

Washoe County posted 4.1 percent jobless rate, up from 3.1 percent in December. The Carson City area, which includes Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties registered a rate of 5.7 percent, up from 4.6 percent in December. Elko and Eureka counties recorded a 6.3 percent jobless rate compared to 4.1 percent in December.

Statewide, there were 1,041 million employed, up 5 percent from a year ago. The only category showing a decline was mining where the number of people working declined by 2.7 percent or to 10,700 employees.

The department said construction employment statewide grew 3.7 percent to 86,000 people; manufacturing was up 5.8 percent to 45,700 workers; trade reached 222,800, up 7.8 percent; service industries, which includes hotels, gaming and recreations, rose to 447,500 employees, up 4 percent. And government employment rose 3.6 percent to 121,800.

In the Las Vegas area, the department said there were 769,300 people employed, up 5.7 percent. The construction industry employment reached 68,700, up 4.1 percent from a year ago; manufacturing rose 3.8 percent to 24,900 jobs; trade grew by 8.8 percent to 167,800 people; the service industries reported 346,000 people employed, up 4.6 percent and government rose by 4.1 percent to 80,500 people employed.