Nevada’s unemployment rate continued to fall in February as the state added 2,400 jobs.
The jobless rate is now down to 8.3 percent with 153,500 fewer people working than in February 2020.
The problem is in the Las Vegas reporting area where 145,600 of those lost jobs are located. Unemployment there is 13.8 percent.
Carson City by comparison is down just 1.9 percent or 600 jobs over the year and Reno 2.7 percent or 6,700 jobs.
Dave Schmidt, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said Nevada has now enjoyed 10 consecutive months of increases in employment. He said the biggest gains were in food services and construction in Southern Nevada.
Schmidt said two encouraging signs are the increasing availability of vaccines and the approval of a large trade show for an in-person convention down south in June.
