LAS VEGAS, NV (KXNT) - According to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s May 2020 economic report, employment in Nevada is up 32,700 jobs over the month and the unemployment rate declined to 25.3 percent.
This report is the second report which covers the period affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency and reflects some of the early effects of reopening the economy. Beginning to rebound from April’s lows, Nevada added jobs back faster than the nation this month at a rate of 2.9 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. Accommodation and food services added 16,800 jobs over the month. That number is expected to increase in June, as June 4th was the date that Nevada casinos were allowed to reopen
The unemployment rate in Nevada remained much higher than the national rate in May, despite falling to 25.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis, and 25.2% on an unadjusted basis; the national rate was 13.3% adjusted, 13.0% unadjusted.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for the self-employed, 1099 contract workers, and gig workers saw 16,201 initial claims filed in the week, a decline from last week’s total of 18,700. PUA currently has over 90,000 unique claims each week.
Approximately $3 billion in total benefits have been paid across all UI programs, with over 4.5 million individual weeks of benefits claimed across UI, PEUC, and PUA.