Douglas jobless rate holds steady

Douglas County's unemployment rate held steady at 11.9 percent through the summer, while the rest of the state has seen a continued increase.

According to figures released by the state on Friday, Nevada's unemployment rate continued to break records in August

The statewide seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 13.2 percent, up 0.7 percentage point from the previous month, said William Anderson, chief economist for the Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation. That means 183,000 Nevadans were counted as unemployed. A year ago, the unemployment rate stood at 7 percent.

Lyon County continued to lead the state's unemployment rates, tying Nye County with a 15.8 percent jobless rate.

Carson City's rate increased in August from 11.7 percent to 12.1 percent.

Trends in Nevada's two major metropolitan areas are consistent with those evident statewide. In both Las Vegas (13.4 percent) and Reno-Sparks (12.4 percent), August unemployment rates are nearly double year-ago readings. (Unemployment rates for the

State's metropolitan areas are not adjusted for seasonality. For comparison purposes, the State's unadjusted unemployment rate was 13 percent in August.)

"Signs of stabilization in the national economy are beginning to emerge," Anderson said. "Some analysts even argue that the recession is likely over, or will be over in the near-term. However, such positive conclusions cannot be drawn in Nevada, based upon a current assessment of labor market and economic activity in the state."

Nevada has been hit relatively hard by this recession. At the start of the recession in December 2007, the state's unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent, essentially identical to the national reading of 5 percent. However, the August jobless rate in Nevada stands 3.5 percentage points higher than the nation's 9.7 percent.

All told, job levels in Nevada totaled 1.18 million in August, a decline of 84,400 from a year ago. Only the education and health services sector managed to add workers, as payrolls in these establishments grew by 1,400 over the year. Elsewhere, more than 31,000 construction jobs were lost, more than a quarter of the workforce. The state's largest sector, leisure and hospitality, cut almost 24,000 jobs relative to a year ago. Government employment stands 3,500 lower than in August 2008, Anderson said.