Unemployment rate down to 6.1 percent in December

Nevada’s unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in December.

That’s the raw rate to compare with different reporting areas of the state. The seasonally adjusted rate was actually a bit higher at 6.4 percent.

Construction continued to lead the state in terms of percentage growth, rising 8.6 percent compared to December of 2014.

Statewide, there are just more than 1.4 million in the labor force with just 86,600 looking for work. The overall unemployment rate of 6.1 percent is eight-tenths down from a year ago.

Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said the numbers show growing confidence by businessmen in Nevada’s economic recovery, especially small business which he said provides just more than half of total private sector employment.

Carson City reported 6.7 percent of workers jobless even though the capital added about 100 people to the list of those employed. The capital was also down eight-tenths from a year ago when the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent.

There were 24,800 in the Carson labor force with some 1,700 jobless.

The rate in the Las Vegas reporting area fell to just 6.2 percent with 64,300 looking for work in a labor force of just more than 1 million.

In Reno-Sparks, the rate fell to 5.5 percent. That translates to just 12,700 looking for work in a pool of 229,700.

Elko remained slightly lower than Reno-Sparks at 5 percent unemployment. That reporting area has 28,600 in the labor pool but just 1,400 out of work.

Churchill County also continued to reduce its jobless rate, falling another four tenths from November to 6.4 percent in December. Just 688 people were reported jobless at year’s end in that county out of 10,687 in the labor force.

In Douglas, the rate dipped to 6 percent in December — 1,336 jobless out of 22,435. As it has for the past six months, Lyon County remained hovering midway between 8 and 9 percent. December was 8.7 percent with 1,862 jobless out of 21,348.

Finally, this is the first month in many that unemployment was below 10 percent in all 17 Nevada counties. It was 9.9 percent in Mineral, the first time in several years that county has been in single digits.