May unemployment numbers up a bit; Carson City numbers down 2-tenths

Nevada’s unemployment rate ticked up a bit in May, rising three-tenths from 5.8 to 6.1 percent seasonally adjusted. But the raw rate was up just a tenth to 6.2 percent.

Las Vegas was the problem area, reporting an increase from 6.1 percent to 6.4 percent for the month.

But Reno-Sparks also was up a bit from 5.4 percent to 5.5 percent in May.

Statewide payrolls increased by 2,800 jobs but that is far lower than the 6,600 jobs economists expected the state to gain over the month.

“Job trends nationally were also weak in May,” said Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation. He said the weakness was concentrated in a single category — administrative services.

The Carson City reporting area, however, did well in May, reporting overall unemployment down from 6.7 to 6.5 percent since April.

Carson City has a labor force of 24,900 with about 1,600 seeking work. The capital saw an increase in local government employment of about 100 jobs. Private sector service employment also ticked up about 100 over the month, primarily in the leisure and hospitality services area.

Like Carson City, Lyon County had a good month in May. The jobless rate there dropped from 8.3 percent to 8 percent with some 1,745 out of a labor force of 21,697 seeking work.

Las Vegas reported 67,100 without jobs in a labor force of just more than one million.

Reno-Sparks reported total employment of 220,300 with 12,800 out of work.

Churchill County had 10,033 employed in May with 652 jobless for a rate of 6.4 percent. That, however, is a tenth higher than the county reported in April.

Douglas County also saw unemployment rise a tenth, finishing May at 6.2 percent. Total employment there is 21,516 with 1,425 seeking work.

While May wasn’t a good month statistically, those numbers were all still better than May of 2015 when unemployment statewide was almost a full percentage point higher.

Nevada’s total labor force is just a bit higher than 1,43 million. Of that total, 87,100 are without jobs.