Unemployment up again in September

The unemployment rate in Nevada jumped a half-percent from August to September, hitting a record 13.5 percent statewide. But when the impact of students leaving jobs to go back to school is factored in, the seasonally adjusted rate rose just a tenth of a percent to 13.3.

Statewide unemployment numbers are seasonally adjusted to minimize artificial swings caused by regularly occurring events each year such as the beginning or the end of university and high school classes. In addition, adjustments are made for such things as layoffs at the end of the outdoor construction season or temporary retail hiring at Christmas.

In addition to students leaving jobs to return to class, the numbers were affected by the annual increase in government employment - primarily schools adding staff as classes begin.

Nonetheless, 13.3 percent is the highest seasonally adjusted rate recorded since the state began keeping those statistics in the 1970s.

Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said that is the smallest increase since March 2008.

"The deterioration in Nevada's labor marked eased a bit in September, but we will have to wait to see how future months unfold before we can conclude that the recession's grip on the state's economy is lessening," he said.

The total number of unemployed Nevadans is now more than double what it was a year ago, 190,700 out of a labor force of 1.4 million.

The unemployment numbers from nearly every reporting area in the state were up a half-percent or more in September. In Carson City the percentage rose seven-tenths to 12.8 percent over the month as the number of jobs available in the capital fell by 500 to 26,150.

Douglas County's total unemployment rose from 11.8 percent to 12.6 percent in September with 470 fewer jobs available.

In Las Vegas, the rate was up a half percent to 13.9 percent. In the Reno/Sparks area, the rate rose seven-tenths to 13.1 percent as another 1,900 jobs disappeared.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the troubling numbers reinforce the need to set aside political differences in Nevada and work to get job-creating stimulus funding out the door and working.

He expressed concern about reports that Nevada has distributed less of the stimulus money than many other states.

"I encourage the state to improve its efforts to take full advantage of the $2 billion I helped secure for Nevada," Reid said.

Anderson said the pain is spread across all industries in Nevada, but none more than construction. Since 2007, he said 50,000 construction jobs have been lost in Nevada. Things aren't much better in the leisure and hospitality industries, which have lost some 30,000 jobs in the past two years. In that same period, Anderson said, professional and business services firms cut nearly 15,000 positions and transportation and utility sectors another 8,000.

The healthiest part of the state is Elko, which reported 6.8 percent unemployment. That, however, is also an increase from August - by just three-tenths of a percent.

In Churchill County as in most rural parts of the state, the unemployment rate is lower even though rising along with the urban centers. Churchill reported a half percent increase in September to 9.9 percent.

Lyon and Storey counties reported the highest unemployment rates for September. Lyon was worst at 16.3 percent with 4,190 people looking for work. That is up six-tenths from August. Storey was up just shy of a percent to 14.8 percent with 370 jobless.

The national average for unemployment for September is 9.8 percent. Nevada is second in the nation behind Michigan, which is above 15 percent.