Construction job totals fell in Arizona and New Mexico but continued to be the fastest growing sector in Nevada over the past year, according to data recently released by the three states.

In Arizona and New Mexico, unemployment rates increased by tenths of a percent with New Mexico falling to 6.7 percent, up two tenths from July and Arizona increased two tenths from 6.1 percent in July to 6.3 percent in August.

Nevada continued it’s job growth for the 54th consecutive month. Nevada’s unemployment rate sits at a seasonally adjusted 6.8 percent in August, which is down relative to a year ago, and is at the lowest rate it has been since July 2008.

Nevada

August experienced a seasonally adjusted growth of 40,200 jobs compared to the previous year with the construction sector showing the fastest growth. The construction sector in Nevada was up 7.5 percent in August and added 4,800 jobs over the year, Bill Anderson, chief economist for Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation says.

“All of the state’s super-sectors experienced year-over-year growth this month except for mining,” he says. “Nevada’s economy is mending well with Nevada now having 1,900 more employers in the state than it had at the pre-recession peak, which is a 3.1 percent increase.”

Non-seasonal industrial employment saw a rise in August to an estimated 70,500 jobs which is up from the previous year by over 4,000 jobs but is down by 1,000 jobs from July 2015.

“I’m pleased with recent trends in the Silver State’s labor market,” Governor Brian Sandoval, says. “Nevada is trending at number one in job growth in the nation. In addition the number of employers and private sector businesses are at a record high.”Sandoval says he is encouraged by the latest projections and said he is expecting to see record high levels of employment by mid-2016.

“We must remain diligent in our efforts to attract diverse industries and to create a more highly skilled workforce that can compete in a global economy,” Sandoval says.

New Mexico

New Mexico saw a drastic drop in construction jobs throughout the state losing 2,000 jobs which represents an over-the-year decline of 4.6 percent, according to a press release from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

The mining industry registered further losses this month with estimates around 1,000 jobs or 3.6 percent. Growth has declined each month since the industry posted a gain of 2,000 jobs in both October and November 2014.

Non-Seasonal adjusted estimates for August show a 2,500 decrease in construction jobs throughout the state of New Mexico with the decrease going from 44,000 in July to 41,500 in August. Year to date the construction sector is sitting at a loss of 2,000 jobs.

Arizona

Arizona’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a percent from 6.1 percent in July to 6.3 percent in August. This is a four-tenths decrease from the same time a year ago, according to data released by the Arizona Office of Employment and Population Statistics.

The construction sector in Arizona saw a slight loss of jobs, being down 100 jobs in August, but over the past year, the construction sector has gained 5,100 jobs.

The unemployment rate for the construction sector is slightly higher in Arizona than in the rest of the nation. Arizona’s construction unemployment is 4.1 percent compared to 3.8 percent in the United States.

Lake Havasu City and Mohave County are seeing the highest unadjusted unemployment rate of the civilian labor force at 8.7 percent while Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale in Maricopa and Pinal Counties are seeing the lowest unadjusted unemployment rates at 5.8 percent.