Nevada jobless rate drops in September; most job openings full time

Nevada’s unemployment rate in September fell to a seasonally adjusted 5.8 percent, down 0.5 percent from August, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported Wednesday.

While September saw a seasonally adjusted decline of 1,500 jobs, there were still 2,000 more jobs than there were at the pre-recessionary high, according to Bill Anderson, chief economist for the Research and Analysis Bureau of the employment department.

Year over year, Nevada has added a seasonally adjusted 34,300 jobs, a growth rate of 2.7 percent.

In the Wednesday report, the employment department noted that at $2,600 per month, monthly new hire earnings in Nevada were higher than half the nation.

Anderson said this indicated that many of the jobs being created amid the economic recovery appear to be higher-paying and full-time.

“Essentially all of our employment growth over the course of the recovery has been full-time. Part-time jobs are essentially holding steady. About 90 percent of online job postings for positions in Nevada are full-time in nature,” said Anderson.

The chief economist added that total average weekly wages were growing, which would be unlikely if most new jobs were minimum wage positions, as such positions would drag down the overall wage.

Long-term unemployment, which refers to workers who have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, has fallen to 1.5 percent, representing about 21,000 workers, according to the employment department. At its recessionary peak, long-term unemployment was as high as 7 percent, which represented about 92,900 workers.

“Following nearly six years of consistent job growth, I’m extremely encouraged by the fact that the Silver State has regained the 186,000 jobs lost during the recession,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval in a statement.

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.