Unemployment hits 7.1 percent in August

Friday, Sept. 19, 2008 | 10:13 a.m.

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Aug. 4 -- Measuring population in moving boxes
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July 30 -- Jobless claims stress state: Good news?

Beyond the Sun

August Nevada employment numbers (.pdf)

CARSON CITY – Unemployment in Clark County climbed to 7.1 percent in August, its highest mark this year with an estimated 70,990 people jobless.

Statewide, the unemployment rate also was 7.1 percent during the month, a 23-year high.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today that it expects the number of workers this year to fall by 1.1 percent from 2007.

Department economist Bill Anderson said the factors contributing to the jump in joblessness are the real estate downturn, the credit crisis and high energy costs.

“The credit crisis has gripped Nevada and sent us into, arguably, the most severe downturn in memory,” he said. “Housing market woes have been followed by financial stress affecting commercial development. In addition to the real estate and commercial development correction, travel costs are inhibiting state visitation.”

The department reported there were 932,230 employed in Clark County in August, the lowest number since March. The number of workers on construction jobs dropped by 9.2 percent to 94,900 in August in Clark County.

Employment in the hotels and casinos fell by 0.3 percent to 173,000 workers in Southern Nevada.

Anderson said there is population growth in Clark County but “this leads to a constant increase of the labor pool without a corresponding increase in jobs, so the unemployment rate will rise.”

Gov. Jim Gibbons said the high employment rate reinforces his belief that now is not the time to raise taxes which “would just increase the burden on businesses that are already struggling to meet payroll.”

“Raising taxes now would just lead to more layoffs and hamper Nevada’s economic recovery,” the governor said.

While employment is stagnant or down in private industry in Clark County, the number of government jobs rose 6.1 percent to 95,400 in the month-to-month comparison. Part of that is due to the hiring of teachers as the schools get ready to open.

Statewide, Nevada’s 7.1 percent rose “significantly” from July said the department. There were an estimated 97,700 persons out of work or 3,000 more than in July.

While Clark County posted a year high of 7.1 percent, some rural counties recorded worse results. Nye County registered a 9.9 percent unemployment rate and Lyon County had 8.8 percent.

Washoe County had a 6.6 percent rate, its highest of the year. And Carson City reported a 6.8 percent rate, its highest in the last four months.

Statewide, the department said “construction is feeling the biggest hit as job levels have declined approximately 10 percent so far in 2008.” Financing and insurance, in addition to real estate, rental and leasing, are other sectors “experiencing significant contraction.”

The agency is projecting a 0.3 percent increase in employment next year and then a growth of 1.8 percent in 2010.

Cy Ryan may be reached at (775) 687 5032 or cy@lasvegassun.com.

Discussion: 30 comments so far…

By Future2012

9/19/08 at 10:46 a.m.

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Not a surprise Las Vegas is the biggest Union town in the Nation.

Our service products are at a price point where consumers can go elsewhere or stay home.
By jfnance32

9/19/08 at 10:56 a.m.

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High gas prices killed many jobs in Las Vegas.

Reid and his crowd are trying to pass a bogus drilling bill. But nobody is going to be fooled.
By PatriciaLV

9/19/08 at 11:01 a.m.

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So, Future, it's the "unions" who are responsible for restaurant & room prices?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for the tightening of the payouts in the casinos?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for the downturn in new construction?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for the mortgage mess?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for the financial meltdown?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for people staying closer to home vs. taking vacations?

And it's the "unions" who are responsible for gambling becoming legalized in so many more places than ever before?

Uh, OK.

Oddly enough, I thought you might actually understand that there are SEVERAL factors involved in the current severe downturn in the US economy, not to mention the NV economy or the LV economy.

Silly me.
By That_Anonymous_Guy

9/19/08 at 11:32 a.m.

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Patricia,

Unions are also responsible for the deregulation-triggered implosion of Wall Street and the subsequent, $1.5 trillion, taxpayer-funded bailout of every distressed bank and financial company in America.

All in the cause of protecting the free market, of course.

I believe it was some kind of Jedi mind trick by union leaders to impose socialism on America.
By Future2012

9/19/08 at 11:40 a.m.

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When you over price to the market, you do not sell the product.
By payrolldept

9/19/08 at 11:51 a.m.

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Since when do Unions have anything to do with Wall Street? Do some research, your comment makes no sense AnonGuy.
Unions generally support regulations to cover their workers who pay dues.
I think that the Unions that work in the Las Vegas economy seem to co-exist fairly well in their respective industries.
My only complaint is that they don't 'enforce' an American Citizen membership rule. Instead, they nearly encourage illegal alien employment because they allow membership w/o legit documentation on the basis of it's not their responsibility to check since they are not employers.
Enforcement of immigration laws has to start somewhere...
By That_Anonymous_Guy

9/19/08 at 12:10 p.m.

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payroll,

Not too familiar with sarcasm, are we?
By PatriciaLV

9/19/08 at 12:41 p.m.

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Future, that is NOT a response to what I asked you. You cannot be that simple-minded or that sheep-like to buy into the "UNIONS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY ILL IN SOCIETY" (unless the subject is CLINTON or DEMOCRATS, of course) horse manure.

At what point do ANY of you "patriots" (gag) acknowledge a thing called CORPORATE GREED? Or do you actually support CEOs being paid multi-millions to run a company, run that company into the ground, and then get hired by ANOTHER company at even MORE millions and then run THAT company into the ground?

Where in the "normal" workplace is FAILURE celebrated like this???

I cannot even wrap my mind around the disconnect you memes suffer through (blissfully ignorant, of course) on a minute-by-minute basis!!!

TAG, (slaps head) of course! I forgot all about the Jedi mind trick!
By KDR81

9/19/08 at 12:47 p.m.

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There is such a thing as Union greed. Unions are only sucessful when people aren't free to choose.

The more the government interferes in a market, the bigger the market power of a single company or industry, the less competition that exists in the market, and the fewer choices labor is allowed to have the more sucessful and wealthy unions become.

And yes, CEO's should be paid millions, espcially if they can convince politicians to dole billions to their company in bailouts and subsidies. They needed to be rewarded for getting politicians to betray their constituents. That can't be easy work *sarcasm*
By PatriciaLV

9/19/08 at 1:05 p.m.

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I don't believe anyone (myself included) argued that there isn't such a thing as "union greed". However, I would submit that CORPORATIONS are also only successful when people aren't free to choose.

Oh the appearance of "choice" is there, but it's just a fallacy.

Think seriously about having TRULY UN-regulated corporate entities. Then think of all the ills that have been stopped due to regulation. Just a couple off the top of my head ... Triangle Fire, Thalidomide, DDT, Love Canal and other superfund sites.

Think Enron. And WorldCom. And Arthur Anderson, once one of the most respected of the "Big 6".

THIS is what happens when corporations are not properly regulated; when it is thought that they actually can "police themselves".

I believe you know there are no easy answers here. "Greed" permeates virtually every aspect of modern society. And it's a double-edged sword; "greed" has been the catalyst for some of mankind's greatest achievements.

But it's also been responsible for some of mankind's greatest failures.

BTW, I'd be genuinely surprised if you believed that there is such a thing as a truly "free market".
By azsk8fan

9/19/08 at 1:16 p.m.

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Has Las Vegas resorted yet to out-sourcing jobs like hotel reservations? If not - wait - it will come - and who cares if you can't understand a word the person on the other end of the phone is saying. If they could figure out how to outsource jobs like hotel maids they'd do that too - oh wait - that's called hiring the illegals........oh the sad state of affairs this country is in - woe is us.
By morgen

9/19/08 at 1:43 p.m.

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"The more the government interferes in a market, the bigger the market power of a single company or industry, the less competition that exists in the market, and the fewer choices labor is allowed to have the more sucessful and wealthy unions become."

Can't really find a reasonable explanation for these conclusions. Oh my... I don't know where to start..should I puke or just regurgitate? OK, first thing: government "interference" is different than government "regulation." I guess PatriciaLV (brava, right on!) is advocating for regulation.
By UNLVStud

9/19/08 at 1:51 p.m.

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The LuvGuv has no idea how to lead the state. His "no new taxes" mantra isn't a policy that will lead us to economic prosperity

His lack of leadership at this time of crisis is typical of Republicans.

The LuvGuv should have had a plan to deal with the mortgage mess and the credit crunch on a State level. He should have been developing a plan to make Nevada a leader in renewable technology. Offering tax incentives and putting in place the necessary framework to support a growing industry in order to diversify the State's economy.

But here we stand with arguably the highest unemployment rate in the west with no plan or solution to dig us out of this hole. Again we need real leadership and it won't come from the LuvGuv texting his BFF to figure it out.
By RPJ

9/19/08 at 2:19 p.m.

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Well, it looks like it's time for all the freeloading carpetbaggers who infested LV the past ten years to pack up and move on to The Next Easy Street. The unemployment rate drops, and good employees are the ones who keep their jobs. Excellent news.
By PatriciaLV

9/19/08 at 2:25 p.m.

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"... good employees are the ones who keep their jobs"

Do you really believe this?
By neiman1

9/19/08 at 2:45 p.m.

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I love union workers that think its better to be an unemployed member than someone with a job. How bad do you think it will get before harry reid does something to lower the cost of energy. Harry would rather try to win the White House for Obama than save our economy. How bad do you think it will get if the two former CEO's of Fannie Mae are Obama's primary economic advisers? We need American energy for American jobs NOW. write harry, or call his office

email link
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm...

Las Vegas
Lloyd D. George Building
333 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-388-5020 / Fax: 702-388-5030
By That_Anonymous_Guy

9/19/08 at 3:24 p.m.

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Thank God John McCain is getting advice on energy policy from Sarah Palin, who is, we've been told, the most knowledgable expert on energy policy in the United States.

Why, just look what she said when she was asked about whether we should restrict the export of oil and coal:

"Of course, it's a fungible commodity and they don't flag, you know, the molecules, where it's going and where it's not. But in the sense of the Congress today, they know that there are very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So, I believe that what Congress is going to do, also, is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it's Americans who get stuck holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here. It's got to flow into our domestic markets first."
By KDR81

9/19/08 at 3:44 p.m.

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Patricia,

Contrary to popular opinion DDT was very good at stoping maleria.

Enron's collapse was good for the economy. They werent creating profits they were destroying wealth. Will some companies lie, yes. Will companies respond to government incentives to lie, YES.

Do companies succeed when their is no choice. Yes, they're called monopolies. There hasnt been a single monopoly that has existed without government regulation however.

Corporations are most sucessful when people are free to choose. Corporate greed feeds the corporations need to provide the highest quality service at the best price.

The more the government steps in the less greed requires them to serve customers and the more the greed convinces corporations to seek government coercion to make themselves rich.
By KDR81

9/19/08 at 3:48 p.m.

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renewable technologies are just another intellectual fad.

Kinda like stemcell research,

bioengneering,

and atom smashers,

don't forget about light rail.

If you want economic diversification, cut government spending, lower taxes, and let the money flow back into the private sector to develope the economy. Start education reform so we can see some real results and start producing more educated students.

Gov spending money does nothing to improve our situation.
By KDR81

9/19/08 at 3:51 p.m.

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Yes, Morgen, government regulation increases market power for entrenched corporations.

This allows them to drive up prices and or drive down wages.

Unions step in to leach off that market power. Unions raise wages for their employees (usually by limiting the supply of labor into that industry) and then work with that corporation to share market dominance and keep the economy from diversifiying.

Unionized workers are better off than without a union under this highly regulated monopolistic or monopsonistic economy but Unions still don't help the consumer out.
By revtomperl

9/19/08 at 4:56 p.m.

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We should post these items again on a cold winters day - you know there is a lot of heat in here but very little light. Hey, lighten up, I say!
By cmon

9/19/08 at 7:57 p.m.

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Did I just read that the collapse of Enron was "Good" for the economy? KDR, are you HIGH, or just ignorant? Tell it to the tens of thousands of Enron workers who lost their jobs, only to find that the "bonuses" they were given were in Enron stock and worth squat. tell it to the millions, whose pensions collapsed because they were heavily invested in companies such as Enron. I'm sure that Enron's collapse was freakin' Christmas for them, not to mention that it began to tip the economy off the ledge. I truly hope you, KDR, were just drunk-typing, because I'd hate to think there are people in this world so Bass Ackward.
By jfnance32

9/19/08 at 8:30 p.m.

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Enron was a crooked company that cooked its books to hide its loses from its shareholders.

The same way that Obama's economic advisors, Raines and Johnson, cooked the books of Fannie Mae to earn millions in bonuses.
By fremmasmind

9/20/08 at 5:54 a.m.

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Asking politicians to regulate politicians puts who in charge? We are bailing out corporations letting them know that no matter how many times they fail our taxes will be there for them. While American citizens are being laid off, the illegals are left working the jobs Americans don't want to do.We can sit and complain and try to be "holier than thou" spouting our little quips to back and forth to each other, but nothing will get done to correct any of the problems we face as a Nation untill we start working together. Remember,there is allways strength in numbers;and united we stand, divided we fall. Greed has no place in unity.
By annienonymouse

9/20/08 at 7:02 a.m.

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Unemployment for August 7.1%. False numbers I say. What about all those that graduated from high school/college that haven't paid into the unemployment system yet? False numbers I say.
By gmag39

9/20/08 at 10:16 a.m.

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KDR81, were you a spokesman for the Reagan Administration?
By RPJ

9/20/08 at 10:22 a.m.

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"... good employees are the ones who keep their jobs"

"Do you really believe this?"

Patricia, I do not say anything I do not believe. As a business owner I know the story firsthand, and Las Vegas native I'm ready for a few less people here.
By RPJ

9/20/08 at 10:35 a.m.

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KDR81, at one time electricity was an intellectual fad. So were automobiles. And space travel. And nuclear power. And ... and ... just about every technology we rely upon today.
By PatriciaLV

9/20/08 at 8:21 p.m.

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Well, I've seen it from both a management and a worker perspective and it's not always true; not here in LV, not back East in NYC. (I've been in the workforce for about 30 years now, so I'm not a newbie at this.)

It's been my experience that it's as simple as this: the ones who are best at "sucking up" are the ones who get to keep their jobs in a "down-sizing". It's also a matter of salary and that is almost never an indicator of "the best workers".

The ones who actually get the job done but perhaps aren't necessarily "diplomatic" about it are the ones to go.

I've been on both ends, BTW; been downsized when I was (by all accounts) the best one at the job (but hardly what anyone would call "diplomatic"), and got to stay when the best one for the job was let go (I had the lower salary).

Again, my experience only, but I can't belive that I'm alone in this.

I have to go along with your comment re fewer people here. And I certainly hope the ones who stay are the ones we want in our businesses.
By Future2012

9/20/08 at 9:30 p.m.

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Yes fewer people here.

Where can we send Harry Reid

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