Las Vegas jobless rate holds steady at 10.4 percent

By Cy Ryan

Published Friday, May 22, 2009 | 7:39 a.m.

Updated Friday, May 22, 2009 | 10:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY – The unemployment rate for Nevada in April climbed to 10.6 percent, the highest figure for the year, with an estimated 146,300 people out of work.

The rate for Las Vegas held steady at 10.4 percent. The number of unemployed jumped by 500 workers from March to a total of 104,700 last month.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today there were 5,200 fewer people working in April than in March statewide. The national jobless rate was 8.9 percent.

State officials said they saw some encouraging signs in the latest numbers.

Bill Anderson, chief economist for the department, said the 10.6 percent was the smallest month-to-month increase since April 2008. And the rate is 0.1 percent below the record of 10.7 percent in December 1983.

The department has expanded its hours for taking claims on Saturday both next week and on June 6 because of the high number of people seeking benefits. But the office will be closed this Saturday for the Memorial Day weekend.

In the Las Vegas area there were 104,700 unemployed, but there were some good signs. Employment in the hotels and casinos rose from 156,200 in March to 156,500 in April as the summer tourist season approaches.

The food service and drinking businesses in Southern Nevada also increased to 77,800 employed, up 1,000 workers.

Construction employment in the Las Vegas area remained steady in April with 81,100 workers on the job, just 100 fewer than in March.

But Anderson said “Nevada’s construction woes will likely continue through the rest of the year, as the CityCenter and Fontainebleau project complete construction.”

Once these projects are completed, workers will be released and they “will find it difficult to locate new employment opportunities,” he said.

Manufacturing employment in the Las Vegas market fell to 23,900, down 300 workers from March. And the trade, transportation and utilities businesses reported 154,300 on the job or 1,700 lower than in March.

Anderson said the financial troubles of automobile manufacturers have resulted in the loss of 550 jobs in Nevada.

The department reported unemployment in the Reno-Sparks area fell two-tenths of a percent to 11 percent. Carson City’s rate dropped from 11.3 percent to 10.8 percent.

The highest jobless rate in the state was recorded at 15.2 percent in Lyon County, but it was the same as in April. The lowest rate was in Elko at 6 percent, down from 6.3 percent in March.

Anderson said that over the past five years, the number of employed workers statewide increased an average of 11,320 from March to April.

“A number of key industries failed to maintain employment levels: the retail sales industry shed 1,600 jobs; professional and business service employers trimmed 1,400 jobs and local governments slashed 1,500 jobs,” he said.