CARSON CITY – According to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s (DETR) August 2021 economic report, Nevada added 11,900 jobs over the month as the state continues to recover from the COVID recession. Employment remains below typical levels, but is up 103,300 since August 2020, an annual increase of 8.3 percent. The large increase in employment over the year reflects the significant effects of the pandemic over the last year. The total employment level in the state is 1,350,400. The state’s unemployment rate in August is 7.7 percent, unchanged from July and down -6.8 percentage points when compared to August 2020.
Lincoln County’s unemployment rate is 4.3 percent.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Employment (Seasonally Adjusted):
- Las Vegas employment increased by 7,000 jobs (0.7%) since July, an increase of 78,700 jobs (8.9%) since August 2020.
- Reno employment had an increase of 900 jobs (0.4%) since July, an increase of 13,600 jobs (5.8%) since August 2020.
- Carson City employment had an increase of 300 jobs (1.0%) since July, an increase of 1,300 jobs (4.4%) since August 2020.
“Release of data for August provides us with a look at how Nevada’s economy responded to the emergence of the Delta variant, said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. “Overall, employment continued to recover at a rapid pace.”
Schmidt added that the nearly twelve thousand jobs added over the month is near the high end of the COVID recovery period, rebounding from a slower pace in July. The leisure and hospitality industry added the most jobs over the month, adding 3,900 jobs since July.
“The state’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.7 percent this month, likely to remain one of the highest rates in the nation and reflecting the long road left to a complete recovery in the state’s labor market,” Schmidt said.
To see additional labor market data view the department’s employment and unemployment dashboards located at www.nevadaworkforce.com.