Although Nevada jobs are currently decreasing, the state is expected to pick up the slack through the next three years.

As of July 2008, Nevada saw a total non-farm employment of 1,281,800, a decrease of .6 percent from last year, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state as a whole had a 6.6 percent unemployment rate.

The Carson City area had a civilian labor force of 30,100, up from 28,726 in 2007, and an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent. The Las Vegas-Paradise area had a total non-farm employment of 917,400, a decrease of .3 percent from last year, and an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent. The Reno-Sparks area had a total non-farm employment of 220,200, a decrease of 1.9 percent from last year, and an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent.

According to an article by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, the State of Nevada should see 44,000 new jobs through 2011, with the most growth occurring in 2010 and 2011. It is expected employment will decrease 1.1 percent in 2008, increase .3 percent in 2009, increase 1.8 percent in 2010 and increase 2.4 percent in 2011.

“Nevada’s long-term economic performance has been quite impressive,” the article notes. “For instance, between 1996 and 2006, job growth in the State averaged 4.3 percent per year. Nationally, jobs grew at just a 1.3 percent average clip over the same period. Nevada’s unemployment rate was lower than the national average every year between 2002 and 2007.

“There were 59,000 employers in Nevada in 2007, an increase of 20,000 from just a decade earlier,” the article continues. “However, much of that momentum was lost with the onset of the current economic downturn. In 2008, the Nevada economy continues to decelerate and lose jobs.

The national unemployment rate reached 5.7 percent in July. The credit crisis particularly has affected Nevada and sent the state into a downturn. Nevada also has been affected by the housing market crisis, financial stress, decreasing real estate and construction markets and high travel costs.