Nevada Jobs in Construction and Tourism Decreasing
Springtime in Nevada usually means one thing: more workers to account for the state’s hot tourism and construction industries. That wasn’t the case this year, as the state and national economy have caused Nevada jobs to decrease.
From February to March, according to the Nevada Workforce Informer, Nevada usually sees a significant increase to the state’s construction and tourism industries. From 2002 to 2007, the construction industry added an average of more than 2,500 jobs from February to March. Over the past six years, employment in the leisure and hospitality industry increased by an average of 3,400 jobs in March.
This year the construction industry lost 300 jobs from February to March, and employment in the leisure and hospitality industry grew by only 1,500 jobs. The Nevada economy as a whole only created 2,000 new jobs in March, below the usual average of 12,000 jobs.
According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nevada’s construction industry employed 123,100 people in June 2008, an 8.5 percent decrease over the previous year. The state’s leisure and hospitality industry employed 338,500 in June 2008, the same as last year.
The NWI states the construction industry employed 117,777 people in 2004, and projects that number to reach 165,288 by 2014, an increase of 41.1 percent. The accommodation and food services industry employed 283,952 people in 2004, and is expected to employ 403,257 by 2014, a 42 percent increase.
In March, Nevada posted its highest unemployment rate and lowest job growth rate in almost six years. Although employment rose slightly throughout the month, it is still .3 percent below the state’s employment in March 2007. Nevada’s unemployment rate came in at 5.8 percent, topping the national unemployment rate.
As of March 2008, Nevada employed 28 percent of workers in leisure and hospitality, 10 percent in construction, 4 percent in manufacturing, 18 percent in trade, transportation and utilities, 1 percent in information, 5 percent in financial activities, 12 percent in professional and business services, 7 percent in education and health services, 13 percent in government, 1 percent in natural resources and mining and 3 percent in other services. The average hourly wage for all industries was $17.73.