CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The unemployment rate in Nevada remains among the highest in the United States as the pandemic continues to inject uncertainty into the economy and impede full recovery.
Unemployment has steadily decreased since the height of the pandemic at a faster rate than almost any other state. But still, Nevada’s unemployment rate remains the second highest in the nation, after neighboring California.
Data released Friday by the state and federal economists showed the state added 2,600 jobs in November and its unemployment rate fell from 7.2% to 6.8%.
Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said it expected the state to continue to have one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates and a long road to recovery, especially as new variants affect economic activity and the labor force.
“November’s report shows Nevada’s ongoing recovery from the COVID recession. Nevada’s job growth over the month was slower than in recent months and remains at roughly 95 percent of pre-recession employment. The unemployment rate saw more significant improvement, falling by 0.4 percentage points, the largest decline so far this year,” said David Schmidt, the department’s chief economist.