Churchill jobless rate falls to 5.7 percent

Churchill County’s unemployment level fell to its lowest level in at least seven years.

In September, the rate dropped to 5.7 percent with 11,860 employed, but the number of jobs in the county also dipped to show 30 fewer positions in August.

“We’re definitely seeing more jobs being created,” said Rachel Dahl, executive director of the Churchill Economic Development Authority. “We’re seeing several small businesses adding employees, and light manufacturing has been adding for two years.”

Neighboring Lyon County continues to hover at 9 percent with nearly 2,000 people out of work.

Meanwhile, Nevada’s unemployment rate also fell to its lowest level in more than six years.

“We are growing in key economic sectors, and more Nevadans are once again finding good jobs,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. “Our economy is showing positive signs, but we must remain diligent in our economic and workforce development efforts.”

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 7.3 percent in September, the lowest since July 2008, according to statistics released Friday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. The state’s job count is up 38,000 compared with last September, even though it’s down by 1,800 jobs compared with this August.

“Through the first nine months of this year, job levels are trending a bit in excess of 40,000 higher than a year ago,” said state economist Bill Anderson. “Should these trends hold through the rest of the year, we will have added about 100,000 new jobs over the 2010-2014 period. To put these gains in perspective, the state lost about 175,000 jobs over the 2007-2010 period.”

Construction continues to lead the state in terms of percentage growth, up 12.8 percent over the year. The state’s largest industry, leisure/hospitality, added 4,100 jobs to payrolls, relative to last September, up 1.3 percent. The only sectors to lose year-over-year employment this month are mining, down 200 jobs, and government, down 600 jobs, Anderson added.

Mining, which lost 200 jobs, and government, which lost 600 jobs, are the only sectors that declined year-over-year.

If the state stays on pace for the rest of the year, Nevada will have added about 100,000 jobs from 2010 through 2014, Anderson said.

Regional jobless rates, which aren’t seasonally adjusted like the statewide figure, also fell.

The largest decline occurred in the Las Vegas-Paradise area, which fell 2.6 percent percentage points from last September, to 7.1 percent. The rate decreased from 7.7 percent in August. Similarly, the Reno-Sparks area fell 2.5 percentage points from last September with an over-the-month decrease of 0.5 to 6.4 percent. The Carson City rate fell to 7.1 percent in September, down from August’s 7.5 percent. The Carson City area dipped 2.4 percentage points over the year.