Nevada unemployment rate hits lowest level in 5 years

By Cy Ryan

Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 | 8:29 a.m.

CARSON CITY — Unemployment in Nevada dropped to 9 percent in November, down from 9.3 percent the previous month and its lowest since November 2008.

The national unemployment rate is 7 percent.

Part of the improvement — about 9,500 jobs were added last month — could be the result of seasonal hiring for the holidays, officials said. State government employment also was up 8.5 percent statewide and 19.7 percent in the Las Vegas area.

“While the continued decline in the unemployment rate is good news, Nevada’s recovery is still slow compared to other states,” said Bill Anderson, chief economist for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Nevada faces a longer road to recovery because it was harder hit by the recession, he said. About a quarter of the jobs lost from 2007 to 2011 have been restored, Anderson said.

The unemployment rate in the Las Vegas area for November dropped to 8.6 percent from 9.4 percent in October. An estimated 85,100 were jobless, down from 92,500 in October.

Unemployment in Washoe County declined from 8.8 percent in October to 8.2 percent in November, with 18,200 jobless. Carson City’s jobless rate fell from 9.6 percent in October to 9.1 percent in November, with 2,700 people out of work.