LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal officials report that nearly 31,000 Nevada residents filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, pushing to close to 419,000 the wave of people seeking unemployment since casinos and other businesses closed in mid-March to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
New numbers reported Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor show almost 30% of the 1.4 million workers who had jobs in Nevada in February have been idled.
The official state unemployment rate last week was 19.9%. State health officials report at least 286 deaths statewide from COVID-19, with more than 5,600 people testing positive.