Las Vegas’ jobless rate inching downward but still high

Las Vegas’ jobless rate moved lower in February but remained well above other areas of Nevada.

An estimated 9.3 percent of the valley’s workforce was unemployed in February, down from 9.8 percent in January, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported Wednesday.

By comparison, the Reno area’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in February, and Carson City’s was 5.4 percent, according to DETR.

Statewide, it was 8.3 percent.

Las Vegas’ casino-heavy economy has been clawing back from its pandemic-sparked economic meltdown. At one point, one out of every three people in the valley was out of work after the coronavirus outbreak led to sweeping business closures and other chaos last March.

Southern Nevada’s job losses have since far outweighed those in other cities, given the pandemic’s devastating effect on the tourism industry, the region’s main financial engine.

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