New York Life, an insurance company, is planning to hire about 300 agents during the next year and about 30 of those positions will be located at the company’s office in Reno.

“We invest in our employees to ensure they are successful,” Lawrence Carter, who works with the company, told KTVN. “We pay to license them and get them going.”

Carter moved to Reno about two years ago and felt the population there was under served, which is part of his motivation for wanting to add new staff. Aside from the competitive salaries that New York Life offers, the company also pays you to go through training.

“We invest about $300,000 in every agent we hire and about $70,000 of that goes into their pockets in salary and bonuses - plus we offer full medical coverage the day they start for them and their families and a 401K,” Carter added.

The added jobs could be a step in the right direction as far as helping to revive Reno’s faltering economy. During July, the Reno-Sparks area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.8 percent to 12.2 percent. This is higher than the unemployment rate of 6.7 percent the area saw last year and higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The area has not seen a decrease in unemployment since April, when the rate went from 11.2 percent to 11 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 197,400 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 200,100 workers during June and an 8.4 percent decrease from last year.

During July, the Reno-Sparks area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.8 percent to 12.2 percent. This is higher than the unemployment rate of 6.7 percent the area saw last year and higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The area has not seen a decrease in unemployment since April, when the rate went from 11.2 percent to 11 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 197,400 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 200,100 workers during June and an 8.4 percent decrease from last year.

No industries managed to add jobs when compared to last year. The mining and logging industry employed 400 workers during July, the same as during June and the same as last year.

The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 11,700 workers during July, which is the same as during June, but a 32.8 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in jobs include:

• manufacturing by 9.1 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 2.5 percent
• information by 7.1 percent
• financial activities by 6.1 percent
• professional and business services by 11.7 percent
• education and health services by .9 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 11.8 percent
• other services by 5.4 percent
• government by 2.9 percent

During July, Nevada saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.9 percent to 12.5 percent, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The state hasn’t seen its unemployment rate decrease since December 2005, when it went from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,187,300 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,193,000 workers during June and a 6.4 percent decrease from last year.

Two industries managed to add jobs when compared to last year. The mining and logging industry employed 12,500 workers during July, up from 12,400 workers during June and a 1.6 percent increase from last year. The education and health services industry employed 98,200 workers during July, down from 98,600 workers during June, but a 2.3 percent increase from last year.

The construction industry once again took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 88,900 workers during July, down from 91,600 workers during June and a 25.1 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year job loss include:

• manufacturing by 7.2 percent
• trade, transportation and utilties by 3.5 percent
• information by 4.7 percent
• financial activities by 6.8 percent
• professional and business services by 7.2 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 6.6 percent
• other services by 1.1 percent
• government by 2.7 percent

As of the fiscal year that ended June 30, the percentage of employees within state agencies either leaving or changing their jobs came in at 17 percent, a decrease from 24 percent during 2006 and 22 percent during 2007.

“The security that government affords in a time like this is pretty clear,” Nevada Personnel Director Teresa Thienhaus, told San Jose Mercury News. “We probably have people making life choices to stay with a certain thing rather than to move and take something less certain.”

Of the employees who did leave their jobs at state agencies, only 11 percent said the departure was related to unsatisfactory work conditions, down from 27 percent during 2006. The number of employees who left to start their own business declined to almost half of the 50-per-year average.

An average of about 200 employees usually leave the state for other government agencies, but this year only 129 workers did so, meaning few workers are leaving their current positions for better paying jobs in local government. While all factors point to the state’s workforce seeing a new level of stabilization, that could be turned around once the economy begins to revive.

Another surprising figure, the number of people retiring has increased from 400 during each of the last four years to 572 this year. Officials say the increase is the result of changes to state benefits programs and is not related to the economy. In essence, the elimination of many benefits and limits on retiree participation in benefits programs forced many people to retire early.

it was recently announced that the U.S. Department of Energy will give Nevada $13,885,600 of a $34,714,000 funding round from the federal economic stimulus. This accounts for 40 percent of Nevada’s total State Energy Program funding authorized under the recovery act.

The first 10 percent of funding was given to the Nevada State Office of Energy to support new staffing and program planning activities. The remaining 50 percent will be released in two phases once required reporting, oversight and accountability measures are met.

The funding will be used for Nevada’s State Energy Plan, which was created by Gov. Jim Gibbons’ Energy Office, and has been approved by the United States Department of Energy.

“This infusion of money will help Nevada invest in our energy future’” Gibbons said. “Virtually every segment of Nevada’s population will benefit by putting people back to work and funding both short-term and long-term investments in Nevada’s energy future, especially renewable energy and energy efficiency/energy conservation projects and programs.”

Throughout Nevada, the funds will be used for a variety of projects and purposes, including implementing energy efficiency measures and renewable energy projects in schools, retro-fitting public buildings to save energy, installing energy efficient traffic signals, and providing funds for a revolving loan program and grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency/energy conservation projects.

Overall, the stimulus funds will support the national State Energy Program. Total funding for this energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative transportation program nationwide is $3.1 billion.

“This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence,” Steven Chu, Department of Energy secretary, said. “It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly.”

Politicians from Nevada recently found out, via The Wall Street Journal, that e-mails from the FBI and Department of Agriculture have been encouraging conference locations to take place in areas that aren’t resort destinations and don’t appear to be “lavish.”

Following the release of that information, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons was quoted as saying that President Barack Obama’s administration “seemed to be completely unaware of the damage they are causing” by such policies. Gibbons further called the blacklist “an outrageous insult to the working families in Nevada” and asked the state’s congressional delegation to press Obama for a change in such policies.

“I am working hard to get more jobs and more tourists for Nevada to help our economy recover, and the Obama administration seems to be completely unaware of the damage they are causing to Nevada’s economy and the people here,” Gibbons said.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has reported that hundreds of conventions and business meetings scheduled to take place in the Las Vegas area have been canceled during the last several months, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Although it has been reported that agencies, including the FBI, General Services Agency and Bureau of Indian Affairs, canceled recent Las Vegas meetings, White House officials have said there is no informal federal policy against government meetings or conferences in the city.

The report, from the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, stated that only 17 companies moved to or expanded in the Reno area during the last year, which is a decrease from the 28 companies that did so the previous year. However, 743 new jobs were created, an increase from the 658 jobs created the year before.

The increase in jobs is mostly due to two employers - AT&T Nevada and the Hartford Financial Services Group - which together created 450 new positions. AT&T added 300 workers at its Reno customer call center. Although HFSG closed its office in Reno in 2007, the company has returned to the area and plans to employ about 150 workers.

Of the 17 companies that did expand or relocate to the Reno area, 11 were new enterprises and six were expansions. On top of that, inquiries from companies looking for information about business opportunities in the area have increased by 15 percent. The biggest interest is coming from companies in California, and local organizations are currently planning a marketing campaign to help bring them to the region.

Although the Reno area has lost a considerable amount of jobs when compared to last year, the month-to-month damage has not been nearly as bad. Reno’s June unemployment rate has not yet been released, but during May, the area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11 percent to 11.2 percent.

The Reno-Sparks area had a total non-farm employment of 199,500 workers during June, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 199,600 workers during May and an 8.1 percent decrease from last year.

International Game Technology recently announced that it will layoff 55 more workers in an attempt to adjust to the current recession. The company is cutting about 161 jobs throughout the world, and Reno accounts for about 35 percent of them.

Near the end of last year, IGT cut 300 jobs in Reno and 500 jobs globally. The company then cut another 200 positions in January, most of those in Reno. Unfortunately for residents in Reno and the surrounding area, IGT is one of the largest private employers in Washoe County.

According to a JP Morgan report on IGT released last month, the company has $100 million in expenses and plans to cut another $100 million during the 2010 fiscal year.

According to an article by the Reno Gazette-Journal, several gaming analysts have said casinos are not investing in new machines because of the current economy. On top of that, Bally Technologies Inc. and WMS Industries Inc. have begun to take away some of IGT’s business.

Looking ahead, IGT will have about 60 percent of the floor space at CityCenter’s Aria casino, which plans to open later this year and install 2,000 gaming machines.

It has become increasingly harder to find a job in Nevada, especially with gaming, one of the state’s main industries, losing revenue. During May, the state saw its unemployment rate increase from 10.6 percent to 11.3 percent. In the Las Vegas-Paradise area, where the majority of the casino action lies, the unemployment rate increased from 10.4 percent to 11.1 percent.

Nevada had a total non-farm employment of 1,199,300 workers during May, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,201,600 workers during April and a 6.1 percent decrease from last year.

If you’re deterred by the disappointing job numbers and feel like you’ve exhausted all of your options, consider looking into the state’s Fortune 500 companies. Nevada is home to nine Fortune 500 companies, most of which are casino or resort related and located in Las Vegas.

There are more than 200,000 casino-related jobs in Las Vegas alone. The city’s gaming workforce is made up of more than employees seen on casino floors, and includes those who work in hotels, shops, spas, catering outlets, bars, giving tours and those who provide other services.

The state’s Fortune 500 companies include:

• Harrah’s Entertainment in Las Vegas
• MGM Mirage in Las Vegas
• Las Vegas Sands in Las Vegas
• NV Energy in Las Vegas
• Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas
• International Game Technology in Reno
• Southwest Gas in Las Vegas
• Amerco in Reno
• Boyd Gaming in Las Vegas

The University of Nevada, Reno recently announced that it will cut 279 jobs. No filled tenure or tenure-track positions will be eliminated. Several full-time faculty members will teach bigger classes in order to replace the loss of several part-time faculty members.

Officials said the cuts are necessary because of a 15 percent budget cut that decreased the university’s state funding by $33 million during the next two fiscal years, according to an article by Mercury News.

State appropriations were cut by 33 percent, impacting programs like Oral History, the Center for Ethics and Health Policy, the Small Business Development Center and the Nevada Bureau of Mines. The Equine Center; Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies; writing and math tutoring centers; and the Career Development Department will all be closed.

Although the education industry is often said to be recession-proof, many cities and states are now losing workers, including Reno and Nevada. The Reno-Sparks area hasn’t managed to add any new workers to this industry and has seen a decrease in workers from last year.

The area’s education and health services industry employed 21,000 workers during May, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. While this is the same number of workers employed by that industry during April, it is a 1.4 percent decrease from last year.

Throughout the State of Nevada as a whole, the education and health services industry employed 96,800 workers during May, down from 97,300 workers during April, but a 1.4 percent increase from last year.