Nevada employer count reaches new high, agency says

Nevada’s employer count hit a new high in the fourth quarter.

The state had 61,200 employers in the period from October through December, the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported Monday.

The prior record of 60,600 employers was set in the second quarter of 2008.

The number of employers tumbled in the recession, falling to 56,300 in 2011.

The overall average for 2014 of 60,200 was nearly 7 percent higher compared with the downturn’s low, said Bill Anderson, the employment department’s chief economist.

Anderson said the growth in employers was “consistent” with other measures showing improvement in the state’s labor market. The unemployment rate has been halved to 6.8 percent since the downturn ended, and nearly 100,000 jobs have been created, he said.

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