Jobless rate up as more Nevadans return to workforce

Nevada’s unemployment rate increased in November, primarily because more than 5,000 people returned to the workforce.

Officials pointed out the number of employed and unemployed workers increased during the month.

In the Reno and Las Vegas metropolitan reporting areas, the jobless rate remained the same as in October. Those rates are 3.5 percent in Reno-Sparks and 5.6 percent in Las Vegas.

But Nevada’s smaller counties experienced significant changes in November with some reporting increased unemployment and others reporting decreases.

Chief Economist Dave Schmidt of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said the jobless rate in Esmeralda County fell eight-tenths while the rate in Eureka County saw a seven-tenths increase.

Nevada’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate finished the month at 4.9 percent while the raw, unadjusted rate was 5.1 percent.

Carson City’s rate was at 4 percent for November. That translates to 1,018 people in a labor pool of 25,624 seeking work.

Washoe County’s 3.5 percent rate works out to 8,980 jobless in a pool of 257,226 workers.

In Clark County, home to just over 70 percent of Nevadans, there are 1.14 million workers and 45,328 without a job as of Nov. 30.

Churchill County reported 253 seeking work in a labor force of 10,379, or 4 percent.

Douglas County reported 1,017 jobless in a pool of 21,397. That works out to 4.2 percent unemployment.