Nevada jobless rate drops a percent in July as slow recovery continues

Nevada’s unemployment rate fell 1.2 percent in July as the state’s slow recovery continued.

The state finished the money at 14 percent after adding 14,800 jobs during the month. Total employment in the state is now at 1.28 million.

Employment, Training and Rehabilitation director Elisa Cafferata said she is encouraged that more people are going back to work but that, “we still have a long way to go.

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Nevada’s jobless rate was below 4 percent.

“Nevada has added jobs for the third straight month in July, though at a slower pace than in previous months,” said DETR economist Dave Schmidt.

The state saw thousands return to work in May and June after casinos and other hospitality businesses reopened. In July, professional and business services add the most jobs at 3,900.

Leisure and hospitality industry jobs remain the most damaged compared to July 2019, down just shy of 16 percent.

There were 66,698 initial claims for unemployment benefits filed during the month. That is an increase of 18,839 over June caused by the second round of mandated business closures — including bars.

DETR was able to release just the statewide numbers at this point. It takes about a week for the department to produce numbers for the metropolitan and county level reporting areas.