CARSON CITY — Nevada’s unemployment rate remained at 7.1 percent in April, the fourth straight month with no change.
The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported, however, a seasonally adjusted gain of 12,800 new jobs for the month, the largest monthly gain since April 2005.
Nevada’s chief economist, Bill Anderson, said in a statement that the state’s growing pool of workers is likely why the rate remained unchanged.
Compared to a year ago, the jobless rate fell one percentage point and employment in every sector grew except for natural resources and mining.
Construction employment statewide grew 5.2 percent; trade transportation and utilities rose 6.9 percent; and casino-hotel employment was up 8 percent.
The agency predicts the state’s employment numbers will surpass a pre-recession peak by mid-2016.
Before the recession, Nevada employed 1.1 million full-time workers before dropping to about 830,000 during the downturn. The number of full-time workers stood at 987,000 in April.
The national unemployment rate in April was 5.4 percent.