Reno adds 300 jobs in May-June; state has added 45,500 over past year

Reno reported a 300-job increase in total employment from May to June of this year and Carson City held steady, even as total statewide employment fell, according to new figures released by the Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation.

The problem was in Las Vegas, according to the state's July 17 jobs report, which saw a decrease of 3,200 jobs over the month.

David Schmidt, chief economist for DETR, said the numbers for the year are much more encouraging. Since June 2018, Nevada has added 45,500 jobs.

Reno's total employment has increased 6 percent over the year, a gain of 15,700 to 258,100. Carson City added 4 percent or 1,000 more jobs for a total of 25,800 since June 2018. The Las Vegas reporting area added 18,800 jobs over the year.

Schmidt said Nevada has now led the nation in job growth for nine consecutive months and total employment increased by 3.3 percent over the year. That is more than double the national increase.

But because June was a weak month, the raw statewide unemployment rate bounced up from 4 percent in May to 4.6 percent in June. When compared to May, all 17 counties reported increased unemployment in June.

Douglas had the smallest increase at two tenths while Pershing County was highest, rising 1.8 percent to 4.4 percent.

Eureka County, home of the state's largest mines, had the lowest unemployment rate in Nevada at 2.8 percent while Nye was highest at 5.6 percent.

The rate was 4.3 percent in Carson City, up five-tenths from May with just over 1,000 seeking work.

In Reno, the jobless rate actually increased four tenths but was still at a minimal 3.4 percent with just over 9,000 looking for work.

In Las Vegas, the unemployment rate jumped from 4 percent in May to 4.8 percent in June. There are 53,600 out of work in the Las Vegas metropolitan reporting area in a labor pool of 1,123,792.

In Douglas County, the rate increased two-tenths to 4.2 percent with about 900 looking for work in a labor pool of 23,779.

Churchill County saw an increase of four-tenths form May through June, finishing the month at 4 percent unemployment. DETR reports 438 people in Churchill seeking work in a labor force of 10,945.

Lyon County still has one of the state's highest unemployment rates at 5 percent. That is six tenths of a percent higher than in at the end of May with 1,177 jobless in a labor force of 23,341.

Geoff Dornan is a reporter for the Nevada Appeal, a sister publication of the Northern Nevada Business View.