Las Vegas jobless rate climbs to 14.8 percent

By Cy Ryan

Published Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 | 6:42 a.m.

Updated Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 | 6:53 a.m.

CARSON CITY – The unemployment rate in the Las Vegas area in July rose to 14.8 percent, the 19th consecutive month of double-digit joblessness.

The number of people employed in government, and hotels and casinos in the Las Vegas area dropped during the month.

Statewide, the jobless rate inched up to 14.3 percent, continuing to be the highest in the nation. It was the 16th straight month the rate has increased to a record high.

The nation’s rate was 9.5 percent and California posted a 12.3 percent jobless rate. In Michigan -- which had seen the nation's highest jobless rates until earlier this year when Nevada took the highest spot -- a downward trend continued in July, dropping a tenth of a percent to 13.1 percent.

In Nevada, the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said today that employers reported 9,600 fewer jobs in July.

In the Las Vegas area, there were 791,500 people employed during the month, or 5,700 less than in July last year. The department said there were 153,900 workers in casino-hotels and gaming, or 400 fewer than the same month of 2009.

Government employment in Clark County dropped by 2,000 workers to 92,700.

Construction employment continued at 46,700, the same as a year ago. Trade, transportation and utilities reported 143,800 employed, or 600 more workers than a year ago.

The number of workers in manufacturing in Southern Nevada fell by 600 to 19,700 in July.

The number of jobless in Clark County was estimated at 144,500.

The department said the Las Vegas area had the highest unemployment rate among all metropolitan areas in the nation in June. Las Vegas will likely maintain the highest rate in July, "although we won’t know for sure until the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the full report," it said in a report.

And the picture is worse than the latest figures show, the state said.

The rate doesn't include workers who are too discouraged to seek employment. Nevada’s actual rate for the second quarter of this year was 21.5 percent, or 8.4 percent higher than the announced figures, the department said.

The jobless rate in the Reno area dropped to 13.2 percent, down from 13.6 percent in June. Carson City’s rate also declined, from 13.4 percent to 13.2 percent in July.