Unemployment: Nevada hits another record in June

Unemployment in Nevada set another record in June, rising to 14.2 percent with more than 193,300 looking for work.

The total number of people with jobs actually fell by 1,400 even though private businesses added 3,400 jobs. Trade, transportation and retailers added a total of 2,000 jobs during the month while the health services sector added 2,100.

Those numbers, however, were offset by the loss of 2,400 more construction jobs, mostly because of projects being finished.

The negative number was caused by seasonal declines in state and local governments - including education. Altogether, government categories shed 4,800 jobs during the month. Part of the problem is the end of the census, which provided temporary work for a significant number of people.

The net result, statewide, was an increase of two-tenths of a percent in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate. The raw, unadjusted rate - which doesn't take those seasonal layoffs into account - increased from 13.8 percent to 14.2 percent.

The increase was driven by an increase of four-tenths in the Las Vegas area which hit 14.5 percent unemployment for June. But the actual total number of employed workers there fell by just 100 jobs. As with the rest of the state, private employers created 3,700 jobs while the public sector cut 3,800.

In Carson City, total employment fell by 100 as well to 28,700. According to the monthly report issued by the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, total state employment fell by 200 jobs while the private sector added 100.

Reno also saw a reduction in government jobs - nearly 1,000 in all according to DETR economist Bill Anderson. But unlike Las Vegas and Carson City, the private sector there didn't pick up in June. Altogether, Reno-Sparks lost 1,100 jobs.

Elko remained in much better shape than most of Nevada with just 8.5 percent of 29,100 in the workforce out of a job. But that is up two-tenths from May.

In Churchill County, the rate fell two-tenths to 11.3 percent. The county reported 1,520 out of work in June. In Douglas, 15 percent of the labor force was out of work - a total of 3,450.

Lyon County continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the state with 18.5 percent of 23,300 workers jobless. That is two-tenths higher than in May.

Anderson said with Congress still battling over legislation to extend unemployment insurance benefits,  nearly 40,000 Nevadans have exhausted eligibility for unemployment checks. He said 7,300 lost benefits in the week ended July 10.

"It took many years to dig us into this hole and we're not going to get out of it overnight," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. "It's why we passed Wall Street Reform, why we're working on the small business jobs bill and why we're going to extend unemployment insurance."

He promised increased efforts to create more jobs in Nevada.

Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., termed the latest numbers "very disheartening." Heller, who voted for extending unemployment benefits, urged congressional leadership to cancel the six-week August/September break and continue working on economic measures to get people back to work.