Las Vegas’ June unemployment rate falls as businesses reopen

Las Vegas’ jobless rate tumbled last month as casinos reopened but remains far higher than other areas of Nevada.

An estimated 18 percent of the Las Vegas area’s workforce was unemployed in June, down from 28.8 percent in May, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, or DETR, reported Tuesday.

The valley added a seasonally adjusted 73,600 jobs in that time, the department said.

The jobs boost came as casinos were allowed to reopen June 4, more than two months after Gov. Steve Sisolak had ordered them and other Nevada businesses closed to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

Las Vegas’ tourism-dependent economy was devastated by the pandemic. The local unemployment rate, just 3.9 percent in February, reached a jaw-dropping 34 percent in April after the Strip turned into a virtual ghost town.

Despite recouping many jobs, Las Vegas’ unemployment rate still is far above other areas of the state.

Last month, the jobless rate was 8.6 percent in the Reno area, 8.4 percent in Carson City, 7.9 percent in Nye County and 4.1 percent in Elko, DETR reported.

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