The Las Vegas metropolitan area’s unemployment rate fell to 5.1% in April, but the decline reflected a shrinking labor force rather than job growth, with more than 20,000 people exiting the workforce and employment dropping by nearly 16,000, according to local-area employment statistics released Thursday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
The headline rate, down from 5.4% in March and from 5.4% a year earlier, improved largely because workers who left the labor force disappeared from both the employed and unemployed counts.
Monthly labor force estimates are volatile and subject to revision.
The pattern stood in contrast to a broader statewide picture that looked steadier on its surface.
