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The percentage of Nevadans out of work went down in October for the first time since February 2008 including those in Churchill County.
While the seasonally adjusted rate fell three tenths to 13 percent even, the unadjusted rate fell a full percentage point to 12.6 percent.
That translates to 175,300 Nevadans looking for a job instead of 190,700 in September.
Reactions to the decrease, however, were mixed with Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation saying the state's economic troubles are far from over.
“As we head into the holiday season, this is welcome news,” he said. “However, it is not a reason to be overly optimistic.
He said it is a good sign that the economy is beginning to stabilize.
Anderson was optimistic compared to Gov. Jim Gibbons who said the decrease is “a temporary drop and not a sign that Nevada's economy is turning around.
“The decline in unemployment has not been followed by an increase in the employment base,” he said. “Clearly the federal stimulus dollars have been better at retaining existing jobs rather than creating new jobs.”
Nevada's overall decrease in unemployment came despite an increase of four tenths nationally.
Churchill County's rate went down from 9.9 percent to 9.3 percent in October. Churchill County officials attribute the slight drop to the number of people working in the county. The number of unemployed dropped from 1,390 in September to 1,300 in October. The total labor pool also shrunk from 14,020 in September to 13,910 last month.
Wal-Mart, one of the county's largest employees, has been hiring seasonal workers.
“We've been hiring seasonal workers since October,” said Store Manager David Ford.
He said the Fallon Wal-Mart will continue to hire seasonal workers in November and December. Ford added that if seasonal employees work out, then they have a good chance to be hired when a permanent opening occurs.
Eric Grimes, executive director of he Churchill Economic Development Authority, also said the county has been using stimulus money to add people to its payroll.
The unadjusted rate fell just about a full percentage point in all three metropolitan reporting areas. In Carson City's case, the rate went from 12.8 percent in September to 11.7 percent in October — leaving about 3,500 out of work.
The Reno area saw its rate fall from 13.1 percent to 12.2 percent and Las Vegas reported 13 percent in October, down from 13.9 percent.
Elko also reported a decrease in the number of jobless — a half percent from September. But Elko's unemployment rate is just 6.4 percent because of the booming gold mining industry. Lander County, also heavily dependent on mining, reported just 6.5 percent out of work.
Lyon County remains hardest hit in the state at 15.2 percent for October. But that's better than the 16.4 percent that county reported in September. Similarly, Storey came in at 12.8 percent compared to 14.7 percent in September.
Douglas mirrored the capital, falling from 12.7 to 11.9 percent during the month.
Statewide, the number of people out of work is being driven by a 27 percent decrease in construction jobs. Construction has lost nearly 31,000 jobs in the past year.
Casino hotels and gaming businesses have cut just under 16,000 jobs since October 2008 and the leisure and hospitality industry as a whole some 20,000.
In addition, sales activity in the motor vehicles category is off 24.4 percent compared to a year ago and sales by general merchandise stores is 10 percent.
While the seasonally adjusted rate fell three tenths to 13 percent even, the unadjusted rate fell a full percentage point to 12.6 percent.
That translates to 175,300 Nevadans looking for a job instead of 190,700 in September.
Reactions to the decrease, however, were mixed with Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation saying the state's economic troubles are far from over.
“As we head into the holiday season, this is welcome news,” he said. “However, it is not a reason to be overly optimistic.
He said it is a good sign that the economy is beginning to stabilize.
Anderson was optimistic compared to Gov. Jim Gibbons who said the decrease is “a temporary drop and not a sign that Nevada's economy is turning around.
“The decline in unemployment has not been followed by an increase in the employment base,” he said. “Clearly the federal stimulus dollars have been better at retaining existing jobs rather than creating new jobs.”
Nevada's overall decrease in unemployment came despite an increase of four tenths nationally.
Churchill County's rate went down from 9.9 percent to 9.3 percent in October. Churchill County officials attribute the slight drop to the number of people working in the county. The number of unemployed dropped from 1,390 in September to 1,300 in October. The total labor pool also shrunk from 14,020 in September to 13,910 last month.
Wal-Mart, one of the county's largest employees, has been hiring seasonal workers.
“We've been hiring seasonal workers since October,” said Store Manager David Ford.
He said the Fallon Wal-Mart will continue to hire seasonal workers in November and December. Ford added that if seasonal employees work out, then they have a good chance to be hired when a permanent opening occurs.
Eric Grimes, executive director of he Churchill Economic Development Authority, also said the county has been using stimulus money to add people to its payroll.
The unadjusted rate fell just about a full percentage point in all three metropolitan reporting areas. In Carson City's case, the rate went from 12.8 percent in September to 11.7 percent in October — leaving about 3,500 out of work.
The Reno area saw its rate fall from 13.1 percent to 12.2 percent and Las Vegas reported 13 percent in October, down from 13.9 percent.
Elko also reported a decrease in the number of jobless — a half percent from September. But Elko's unemployment rate is just 6.4 percent because of the booming gold mining industry. Lander County, also heavily dependent on mining, reported just 6.5 percent out of work.
Lyon County remains hardest hit in the state at 15.2 percent for October. But that's better than the 16.4 percent that county reported in September. Similarly, Storey came in at 12.8 percent compared to 14.7 percent in September.
Douglas mirrored the capital, falling from 12.7 to 11.9 percent during the month.
Statewide, the number of people out of work is being driven by a 27 percent decrease in construction jobs. Construction has lost nearly 31,000 jobs in the past year.
Casino hotels and gaming businesses have cut just under 16,000 jobs since October 2008 and the leisure and hospitality industry as a whole some 20,000.
In addition, sales activity in the motor vehicles category is off 24.4 percent compared to a year ago and sales by general merchandise stores is 10 percent.
