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Yahoo
a day ago
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Metro area unemployment up since June; North Las Vegas has worst rate among cities
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Unemployment increased in metro Las Vegas in July, climbing from 5.8% to 6.0% since June. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) said Tuesday that 1,386 more people were unemployed since June ended. A total of 74,017 were unemployed in the metro area, which includes Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas, along with unincorporated parts of the valley. July showed a big improvement over a year ago, according to DETR's July report on cities and counties. Metro Las Vegas had 4,694 more people looking for work in July 2024. The labor force in Las Vegas is currently 1,238,723 people. That's 6,390 less people than June 2025, but 11,693 more than in July 2024. Unemployment in the Reno metro area, which includes neighboring Sparks, was slightly improved, dropping from 4.6% to 4.5% since June. Compared to a year ago, it's even better, declining from 5.2% to 4.5%. Carson City was stable from month to month, and down for the year, dropping from 4.9% to 4.4%, DETR's report showed. Statewide, Nevada's July rate was 5.4%. The state continues to rank at the top of the list nationally, with only the Washington, D.C., unemployment rate coming in higher. JOBS REPORT: Las Vegas adds jobs, but Nevada's unemployment rate flat at 5.4% Clark County overall was at 6.0%, fifth-highest among Nevada's 17 counties. Mineral County was at the top of the list at 10.5%, and Nye County was second-highest at 7.3%. White Pine County had the lowest rate: 3.9%. Month-to-month comparisons showed nine counties had declining unemployment since June. A list of city and county breakdowns appears below. Among cities, the unemployment rate in North Las Vegas was at 6.2% in July — the only city with a higher rate than Las Vegas. LAST MONTH: Slow growth: Nevada unemployment rate drops slightly U.S. and state unemployment figures are seasonally adjusted, but cities, metro areas and counties are not adjusted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$44.9 million paid in unemployment benefits as Nevada jobless rate highest again
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Initial claims for unemployment benefits declined by 1.1% over the past month, but total payments to out-of-work Nevadans went up by $4.6 million, or 11.5%, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). In total, the state paid out $44.9 million in unemployment benefits in March. Nevada's worst-in-the-nation unemployment rate dropped from 5.8% down to 5.7% in March. February rankings from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Nevada's jobless rate significantly higher than the 5.4% posted in California, Michigan and Washington, D.C. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics graph ranking the nation's highest unemployment rates is typically a month behind current data. DETR's labor market overview showed the Las Vegas metro area added the equivalent of 600 jobs from February to March, fewer than the 800 jobs added in the Reno area. Carson City had a decline of 200 jobs. Statewide, the largest gains came in the leisure and hospitality sector with 2,000 new jobs. The biggest losses came in the financial sector (-1,000) and the category of trade, transportation and utilities (-900). Nevada's labor force grew by 4,095 in March as 4,730 found work and 635 lost their jobs, according to DETR. LAST MONTH: Nevada unemployment steady at 5.8% for February; federal jobs show little change here Unemployment growth came in at about 0.4% in February, 40th in the nation, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. California ranked 37th and Arizona was 50th with job numbers shrinking by 0.4%. Idaho led the nation with 2.7% growth, followed by Utah at 2.0%. Year-over-year, U.S. employment grew by 1.2% — double Nevada's 0.6% growth. The Las Vegas metro area saw employment grow by only 0.1% compared to March 2024. There were 2,900 fewer resort jobs and 2,800 fewer restaurant jobs in March 2025 than there were a year ago. Industries showing the biggest growth in Las Vegas over the year were in the categories of construction (6,000) and mining, logging and construction (6,000). To file an unemployment insurance claim, go to Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal workers in Nevada jobs? Democrat's legislation opens arms to Trump cast-offs
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The federal government is shrinking, and that might be an opportunity for Nevada state government to find some experienced new employees. Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager introduced legislation on Monday to make sure the state gives federal employees fair credit for their experience, and even allows the state to waive a requirement for a bachelor's degree in some cases. Assembly Bill 547 (AB547) would make experience in the federal government the same as state experience in determining pay levels. Yeager posted on X, 'I am proud to introduce AB547 which will expand career opportunities for all Nevadans and ensure that former federal workers recklessly and indiscriminately fired by the Trump/Musk administration have job opportunities right here in Nevada. #NVLeg' 8 News Now reached out to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) at the end of March for information about federal jobs in the state. DETR's chief economist, Dave Schmidt, said federal employment in Nevada accounts for a little under 23,000 jobs in the state — smaller than the Clark County School District's workforce. Most of those federal jobs are with the Veterans Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Defense. The impact of the Trump administration's cuts isn't likely to show up in unemployment statistics for six to 12 months, he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada unemployment steady at 5.8% for February; federal jobs show little change here
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A report released Thursday shows Nevada's unemployment rate is holding at 5.8%, the highest in the nation. The February jobs report from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) shows an overall loss of 1,600 jobs statewide and 3,600 in the Las Vegas metro area — better than January when 7,500 jobs were lost in Las Vegas. 'The unemployment rate remains steady, and trends in hourly wage growth remain strong, reflecting ongoing demand for workers in the state,' according to David Schmidt, chief economist for DETR. Reno gained 500 jobs and Carson City lost 200 jobs. The shakeup in the federal government didn't appear to make an impact on unemployment in the February reports, but that could change in the coming months. The jobs report made no mention of possible impacts in Nevada. 8 News Now has reached out to DETR for comment, but we haven't received a reply yet. Layoffs in the National Park Service and General Services Administration affected a relatively small number of employees in Nevada. Continued uncertainty surrounding federal programs and grant funding could mean layoffs. DETR's jobs report showed no change from a year ago (February 2024) in federal government jobs in Las Vegas, but a decrease of 100 in the Reno-Sparks area. LAST MONTH: 'Unchanged' according to DETR, Nevada unemployment rate remains worst in the US Initial claims for unemployment benefits dropped by 16% from January to February. A total of 10,748 initial claims were filed in February, down 1.6% from a year ago. 'The jobs report for February reflects a labor market that is rebalancing after our rapid post-COVID expansion. Annual employment growth fell to 0.4 percent in Nevada, led by declines in the logistics, information, and professional and business services industries,' Schmidt said. 'Each of these saw rapid expansion in recent years, with the current job losses bringing employment levels more in line with longer-term growth trends in those industries.' The labor force grew by 3,318 in February, DETR said. The increase was the result of an increase of 3,658 in employed individuals and a decrease of 340 in unemployed individuals. To file an unemployment insurance claim, go to Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DETR says unemployment claim backlog is gone, answers questions on call wait times, AI
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A backlog of unemployment claims that soared as high as 45,000 cases during the pandemic has been cleared, officials told lawmakers on Friday. 'Our unemployment insurance system is working, we have no backlogs and we are concentrating on workforce. And that is very, very important for Nevada,' according to Christopher Sewell, director of Nevada's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). And while the backlog has been cleared, there are still thousands of cases currently going through the system. Basic unemployment claims typically take 14-21 days in 87% of the cases, Troy Jordan, deputy director of DETR programs, told the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. Appeals take longer, with 60% of cases resolved within 30 days and 80% of the cases resolved within 45 days. 'We are currently at that standard,' Jordan said. It's significant progress considering the caseload when Sewell took over at DETR three years ago. The backlog was at 45,000 cases and the state needed a new system to keep up. A year and a half ago, there were still 14,000 appeals cases on the books, according to Christine Nelson, of DETR's employment security division. Now, the levels are smaller, Nelson said: 1,500 non-fraud appeals cases 1,000-1,500 appeals cases involving a fraud investigation 'Cases are being processed now within 45 days. By March, they will be processed at the 30-day mark. You know, fraud cases take longer,' she said. Assemblymember Tanya Flanagan (D-Las Vegas) asked for an explanation of 'claim overpayments.' Many of those problems are being thrown out. 'I will tell you that in the last two years, we have actually waived 112,776 overpayments,' Sewell said. 'We cannot waive overpayment in fraud cases,' Nelson said. Committee members said they still hear plenty of complaints from constituents about wait times on phone calls. Jordan acknowledged DETR currently has 12-20 minute wait times. He said people are bailing out after 8-10 minutes, just a couple of minutes ahead of when DETR can pick up their call. During the pandemic, wait times were sometimes at 3-4 hours. DETR officials said they would work to communicate the best times for people to call in. But it's not Monday morning at 8 a.m., which is when a lot of people are calling now. If there's a better way to get a response, it's through DETR's website, officials said. About 80% of claims or claims issues are being handled online, while only about 20% involve phone calls, DETR said. And staffers that are responsible for handling those phone calls split their days with duties to test the new system, known as 'NUI.' 'We're going through the NUI system, which is the upgraded new unemployment insurance system. And we rolled out the tax system a year ago, we're working on the benefits system right now,' Sewell said. DETR is also working to test Google AI, that is expected to go into operation in a limited capacity sometime in the next two months, Sewell said. He admitted to lawmakers it was 'a sleepless night' when he agreed to use AI. But he pointed to significant time savings: AI's ability to write a determination in 5 minutes, a task that can take six to eight hours in a complex case. The process: Hearings are transcribed, and Google AI looks at state law, federal law and the transcript, then spits out a determination. 'The referee is then going to review that determination. If the determination is wrong, the referee will correct it. If the determination maybe didn't pick something up that actually happened in the hearing that the referee knows what happened and said, 'No, we need to make sure this is included in the decision,' it will be included. It will be reviewed by a referee before that decision ever goes out,' Sewell said. 'This is a tool. It is not a decision maker,' he told lawmakers in response to another question from Flanagan. 'I just don't want to see us lose the emotional intelligence and sensitivity that should be applied to these spaces. Because it's a very critical space for families when they are in this situation. I will continue to watch, but it's interesting,' Flanagan said. 'Before I turn it on, and it is not on, we are continuing working with Google, I believe it's probably going to be turned on here in the next 30 or 60 days, it has to be above 99% correct,' Sewell said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
