Las Vegas’ jobless rate still highest among large US metro areas
Las Vegas’ improved jobless rate is still highest in the nation among large metro areas, a new report shows, underscoring the pandemic’s effect on its tourism-dependent economy.
An estimated 11.5 percent of the Las Vegas area’s workforce was unemployed in November, highest among metro areas with at least 1 million people, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.
Among them, New Orleans had the second-highest share of unemployed workers at 9.8 percent, and Birmingham, Alabama, had the lowest at 3.8 percent, federal data shows.
The coronavirus pandemic has kept people home and away from crowds for fear of getting infected, devastating the tourism industry, the foundation of Southern Nevada’s casino-heavy economy.
Las Vegas’ jobless rate, just 3.9 percent in February, skyrocketed to 34 percent in April after Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered casinos and other Nevada businesses closed to help contain the virus’ spread. Resorts and other businesses have since reopened, and visitors are back, but tourism levels remain down and some casinos are still closed.
Around 17.8 million people visited Las Vegas last year through November, down 54.5 percent from the same 11-month stretch in 2019, and nearly $6 billion in gambling revenue was generated in Clark County, down 36.6 percent, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.
