Small businesses in Nevada, those firms with fewer than 100 employees, added 19,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2015, totaling 596,000 in employment, according to figures released Wednesday by the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

The statewide job increase makes this the second consecutive quarter in which small business employment stands at a record-high, employment officials note.

During the final three months of 2014, small business employment registered at 577,000. Prior to the recession, small business employment peaked at just over 585,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007. As the downturn unfolded, jobs fell to 510,000.

“Small businesses have added back all of the jobs lost during the recession, and have surpassed pre-recessionary levels,” said Bill Anderson, chief economist for Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. “Additionally, small establishments dominate Nevada’s economy. Small business represents 98 percent of the state’s 77,000 private sector establishments and has played a significant role in helping the Silver State recover from the recession.”

Year-over-year small business employment gains have been recorded in each of the past 20 quarters. Job growth in the private sector in 2015 was widespread across all establishment size groups. For the year as a whole, job counts in small establishments were up 20,000 relative to 2014, accounting for roughly half of the total growth, Anderson said. All told, jobs were up by more than 40,000 as compared to 2014. Job growth in Nevada’s largest establishments, those with at least 500 workers, totaled 6,400 for all of 2015.

The largest establishment size category incorporates those with zero to four employees, accounting for nearly 60 percent, or 46,000, of all worksites. The next four largest categories, ranging in size from five to 99 workers, account for nearly all remaining establishments. Large and medium-sized establishments, those with 100 or more employees, account for two percent of worksites statewide. There are 1,500 worksites with at least 100 employees, including 80 with at least 1,000 workers.

Small Businesses Represent 98% of all Private Sector Business Establishments in Nevada