LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Nevada’s unemployment rate continues to rise, hitting 5.5% in August despite a decrease in initial claims for unemployment insurance.
Unemployment increased by 0.1 percentage points, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. That’s up from from July’s 5.4%. National rankings by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from July show Nevada as the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, just above Illinois (5.2%), California (5.2%) and Washington (4.9%). Washington, D.C., is at the top of the list at 5.5%.
Initial claims for unemployment dropped 8.4% from July, with 12,089 people filing claims in August. Compared to a year ago, claims are up 17.9%.
Nationally, weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in four months .
“This month’s report points to slight cooling in Nevada’s labor market,” David Schmidt, chief economist for DETR, said Thursday. “Unemployment rose slightly, while annual job growth slid to 3.0%. Job growth in mining, construction, manufacturing and logistics continues to outpace other industries, while health care employment saw declines over the month.”