(Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current)
Nevada lost a net 3,800 jobs in August, led by a drop of 4,400 jobs in the construction industry, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) announced Thursday.
Construction jobs account for about 7% of Nevada’s non-farm employment, according to DETR.
The U.S. lost a total of 7,000 construction jobs in August, according to the Department of Labor.
“Many point to immigration policies impacting construction sites, tariffs causing a rise in construction costs and overall economic uncertainty, which makes companies feel less confident in making investments,” the Design Build Institute of America said on its website in reaction to the August national numbers.
Education and Health Services gained 1,300 jobs in Nevada.
The state’s unemployment rate decreased slightly, from 5.4% in July to 5.3% in August, the result of individuals leaving the labor market.
Only California and the District of Columbia had higher unemployment rates than Nevada as of July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nationally, the unemployment rate rose from 4.2% to 4.3% in August.
“The August report shows a job market that is largely stationary,” Chief Economist David Schmidt said in a news release, adding private sector employment fell by more than 6,000 jobs in August, but the state has not experienced a surge in unemployment claims.
The total number of nonfarm jobs in Nevada was 1,570,100, unchanged from a year ago.
The Las Vegas area lost the equivalent of 4,300 jobs in August, compared with July. Reno saw a decrease of 400 jobs, while the Carson City market added 300 jobs.
