Bolstered by muscular showings in construction, manufacturing, and professional and business services, Clark County’s economy brightened in July with an annual gain of 3,200 jobs, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the state Employment Security Department.
Construction and manufacturing chipped in a combined 1,200 jobs over the year, while professional and business services — which encompass management, administrative support and technical positions — generated 1,100 new hires.
Quality, not just quantity, also was evident in the employment numbers reported in the analysis by Scott Bailey, regional labor economist for the Employment Security Department. With gains in private sectors such as construction, manufacturing, corporate offices and business services, Bailey said Tuesday, “… we’ve definitely seen growth in some of the higher-wage industries.”
But July’s numbers also revealed a sobering fact: Clark County is still digging its way out of a deep hole gouged by the 2008 financial collapse of the U.S. economy. Indeed, during the recession years — from February 2008 to February 2010 — the county hemorrhaged 10,200 jobs. Since then, it has recovered 7,700 jobs, or about 75 percent of what was lost. The county, Bailey said, still has “a long ways to go.”