Nevada’s June jobless rate drop most dramatic in the country

Nevada’s jobless rate fell the most in the country last month as casinos reopened, a new report says, but its share of unemployed workers was still among the highest.

The state’s 15 percent unemployment rate in June was down 10.3 points from 25.3 percent in May, the biggest drop in the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Overall, its jobless rate was fourth highest among all states and Washington, D.C., the bureau reported – a bleak position, but an improvement from the past few months after the coronavirus outbreak devastated Nevada’s tourism-heavy economy with sweeping business closures.

Nevada’s unemployment rate, just 3.6 percent in February, shot up to 30.1 percent in April. That rate was revised upward from the originally reported figure of 28.2 percent, which, the bureau said, led the nation.

Nevada’s jobless rate in May also led the country.

Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered casinos and other businesses closed in March to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus, turning the Strip into a virtual ghost town, but he has since allowed businesses to reopen.

Casinos, the backbone of Las Vegas’ economy, were allowed to reopen June 4 following more than two months on state-ordered lockdown.

Still, Southern Nevada’s economy remains on wobbly ground as coronavirus infections surge again.

Sisolak recently ordered bars in Clark County and other areas of Nevada to close again for at least two weeks because of the heightened caseload. Southern Nevada bar owners have sued to block the order.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.