Nevada jobless rate steady at 7.7 percent in July

LAS VEGAS — Nevada’s unemployment rate held at 7.7 percent in July compared with June, but it dropped compared with where it was a year earlier, state officials said Friday.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported that Nevada’s unemployment rate was down 2.2 percentage points from July 2013. The state had 44,600 more jobs in July than it did a year earlier, even though it lost a seasonally adjusted 200 jobs from month-to-month due to a drop in government jobs.

“I am pleased to see the overall economic picture for Nevada continues to remain positive,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. “We must remain vigilant in our economic development efforts as we continue the slow but steady pace to recovery.”

Construction payrolls were up by about 7,500 jobs since July 2013. Professional and business services have added 12,000 jobs in a year’s time, while the leisure and hospitality sector grew by 10,600 since last July.

The state also released July jobless rates for its major metropolitan areas, although those statistics are not seasonally adjusted and cannot be directly compared with the statewide numbers.

Las Vegas’ unemployment rate went up from 7.9 percent to 8.2 percent, while Carson City’s rate was flat at 7.9 percent and Reno’s held steady at 7.3 percent.