Carson City unemployment increases slightly in November

Unemployment rates ticked up a bit from October to November not only statewide but in Carson City and Reno/Sparks.

In the statewide numbers, the raw, non-adjusted rate went from 4.8 percent to 4.9 percent. Carson City went up two tenths to 5 percent and Reno/Sparks up a tenth to 4 percent.

Las Vegas was flat at 5.1 percent.

But economist Bill Anderson of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said all markets in the state experienced solid job growth over the past year and there are now about 41,000 more jobs in the state than there were just six months ago.

In addition, he said 16 of Nevada’s 17 counties experienced wage increases this past quarter. At 7.6 percent, he said Carson City’s wage increase was significantly greater than the state as a whole. There are now a record 1.35 million people employed in the Silver State.

Double digit unemployment rates are gone with the highest rate just 6.4 percent in Nye County. The lowest unemployment rates are in Eureka (2.9 percent) and Elko (3.4 percent).

In Carson City, just 1,200 were reported jobless in a labor force of 25,100. The numbers in Reno/Sparks where construction and job opportunities at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center are booming, just 9,500 are reported out of work in a pool of 239,100 workers.

Churchill County has a jobless rate of 4.5 percent. That’s up two tenths from October but still translates to just 467 people seeking work in a labor force of 10,451.

Douglas County’s rate is 4.6 percent as of the end of November with 1,021 job seekers in 21,985 workers.

Finally, Lyon County has 1,228 looking for work in a labor force of 21,695.

Statewide, just 72,000 are looking for work in a pool of 1.47 million.