Nevada unemployment rate continued decline in April

The state’s unemployment rate keeps coming down.

According to a statement Wednesday from Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, the state’s unemployment rate is at a seasonally adjusted 4.7 percent for April.

It’s the 67th straight month of 1 percent-plus year-over-year declines to the unemployment rate.

Nevada also added 17,000 jobs to payrolls during the month, a seasonally adjusted gain of about 11,000 jobs during the month and 46,000 over the year.

Jobs were added across all sectors, according to the statement. The professional and business services sector is expected to grow by 44,300 jobs, or 29 percent, by 2024.

About 14,000 net jobs were created in the third quarter of 2016. Of the private sector jobs lost during that quarter, 51,000 came from contractions and 11,000 from closings.

Health care continues to grow in economic activity in the state, accounting for over 14.5 percent of GDP spending compared to about 12.5 percent of spending in 2001.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits have declined 56 percent statewide since 2010, beating the national decline of 48 percent.

The report also shows the number of construction workers leaving Nevada has returned to pre-recession norm of about 1,300 workers. That number peaked at about 3,000 workers during 2007, according to the statement.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at wmillward@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4602. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.