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Nevada unemployment rate improves but remains higher than national level

Posted at 6:46 PM, Aug 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-19 22:35:43-04

NEVADA (KTNV) — Employment in Nevada saw an increase of 14,800 jobs over the month of July, according to Nevada's unemployment office.

The July 2020 economic report was released Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, or DETR.

The office also reported a decrease of 138,700 jobs, or a 9.8% change, when compared to July 2019.

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July's total employment level in Nevada is 1,281,100 with an unemployment rate of 14% - down 1.2 percentage points from June but up 10.1 percentage points when compared to July 2019.

“I am encouraged Nevada is continuing to recover the jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic and some people are able to return to work. We still have a long way to go,” Acting Director Elisa Cafferata said.

DETR’s report also noted that Nevada’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims increased by 18,839 claims over the month and 56,826 over the year, or 39.4%, and 575.6%.

The 12-month average level of initial claims continues to trend below 10,000.

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“Nevada has added jobs for the third straight month in July, though at a slower pace than in previous months. Employment ticked up across most industries with professional & business services and education and health services adding the most jobs. The number of unemployed remains high but continues to improve," said David Schmidt, chief economist for DETR.

Additional July economic report highlights are as follows:

-Nevada jobs up by (1.2%), US up by (+1.3%) from June to July.
-Professional and business services added the most jobs (+3,900) over the month.
-Leisure and hospitality (-15.9%) and other services (-16.6%) are down the most since the same time last year.
-The unemployment rate in Nevada is higher than the national rate in July and is at 14% on a seasonally adjusted basis and 14.2% on an unadjusted basis; the national rate is 10.2% adjusted and 10.5% unadjusted.

"July’s data reflects a period of slower growth following the significant re-openings that took place in May and June. The challenges posed by the pandemic continue to weigh on the labor market, and the response to COVID-19 by businesses and the public continues to evolve. As the public health situation continues to develop, we will see corresponding impacts in employment and unemployment in the months ahead," Schmidt said.