By McKenna Ross, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 26, 2023
Nevada’s unemployment rate dipped slightly in April, changing very little from the previous month and remaining the highest in the country, according to data released by the state’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Seasonally adjusted unemployment in Nevada last month was at 5.4 percent, a 0.1 percentage point decline from the previous month but an increase of 0.2 percentage points when compared to April 2022, according to the monthly employment report.
The national unemployment rate in April stood at 3.4 percent.
Total employment in the state is about 1.5 million. That’s a loss of about 2,900 compared to the previous month but up 61,600 jobs since April 2022, or a 4.2 percent year-over-year increase, the report states. Nevada led the country in its job growth rate over the year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was followed by Texas at 4 percent and Florida at 3.9 percent.
“This month’s release continues the trend of recent months, with relatively strong employment growth over the past year but also a high unemployment rate compared to other states,” DETR Chief Economist David Schmidt said in a news release. “Our change in employment from March to April was somewhat weaker than expected for this time of the year, particularly among full-service restaurants, retail trade, and other personal services.”
State officials say the decrease in employment is attributed to the accommodation and food services industry. Full-service restaurants lost roughly 1,600 jobs while food services and drinking places lost about 1,200.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area had the highest unemployment rate among regions in the state at 5.5 percent when not seasonally adjusted, according to the report. It lost about 500 jobs between March and April.
Meanwhile, the Carson City and Reno-Sparks metropolitan statistical areas had unemployment rates of 4.6 percent and 4 percent, respectively. Reno had no change in employment while Carson City saw a decrease of about 200 jobs.
At a more local level, Nye County had the highest unemployment rate in April at 6.1 percent while Eureka County had the lowest at 3.4 percent, seasonally unadjusted, according to the report.
Nationally, South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in April at 1.9 percent, followed by Nebraska at 2.0 percent.