Nevada jobless figures lowest in six years, Carson City at 7.9 percent in June
Unemployment figures for Carson City continue to improve, dropping to 7.9 percent for the year after slight improvements in June. Statewide, Nevada’s unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 7.7 percent in June, the lowest it has been in nearly six years.
Over the year, unemployment in the Reno/Sparks metro area is down 2.8 points, and Carson City is down 2.5 points, according to figures released Friday from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Reno/Sparks and Carson City each fell by 0.1 percentage points to 7.2 and 7.9 percent, respectively.
“I am pleased with the steady improvements reflected in the most recent labor market report,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Unemployment numbers are down and we continue to see job growth in key sectors of our economy. Although this positive news is welcomed, we must remain vigilant in our economic development efforts to continue moving Nevada forward.”
The Las Vegas/Paradise MSA held steady over the month at 7.9 percent, but is down 2.5 percentage points relative to June 2013.
Nevada added a seasonally adjusted 5,300 jobs in June, which is the 11th month to month employment gain, said Bill Anderson, chief economist for DETR. The construction industry had the highest annual growth rate, at 10.5 percent, adding 5,900 jobs relative to June 2013.
“On a year-over-year basis, employment growth has been positive for the past 42 months,” Anderson said. “All of Nevada’s metro areas added jobs to the payrolls in June, relative to the same time last year. Through the first half of this year, job levels are trending a bit in excess of 40,000 higher than a year ago.
Should these trends hold through the second half of the year, we will have added about 100,000 new jobs over the 2010-2014 period. Going forward, improving underlying conditions in the national labor market should pave the way for continued advances in Nevada. By the end of next year, our expectations are for Nevada employment to be approximately 95 percent of the pre-recessionary peak. ”