Douglas County unemployment reaches 15 percent

Nevada's unemployment rate increased to 13.2 percent in February, with Douglas County's rate inching up from 14.7 percent to 15 percent, according to state data released Friday.

While that amounts to 189,000 out-of-work Nevadans, employers added 10,400 jobs last month - the first increase since October 2009, said Bill Anderson, the chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Las Vegas added most of the jobs, 7,400, while Reno-Sparks added 1,600. Carson City added 100.

Still, the Silver State's unemployment rate out paced the national jobless rate of 9.7 percent.

The jobless rate in Reno-Sparks held steady at 13.4 percent while the rate in Las Vegas increased from 13.8 percent to 13.9 percent.

Meanwhile, the construction industry held steady with 66,900 workers in February, a reprieve from four years of constant job loss. Since the industry's peak in 2006, it has shed 81,900 jobs or 55 percent.

Anderson said federal stimulus road projects will begin to add jobs in the coming months.

Nationwide, a recovery is still "tenuous at best," Anderson said.

While the U.S. economy grew 5.9 percent in the fourth quarter and manufacturing began to increase as businesses restocked inventories, unemployment remains high as firms try to do more with less to keep costs low.

"The ramifications are not good for Nevada," Anderson said. "The longer it takes for the national economy to rebound, the longer it will take for Nevada's leisure and hospitality dependent economy to recover."

Douglas County has the third highest unemployment rate in the state. Lyon County leads with 19.5 percent, followed by Nye County with 16.5 percent.

* The R-C contributed to this story.