LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Nevada's unemployment rate dropped to 11.7 percent in April - the lowest number in nearly three years, according to the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Unemployment was at 12 percent in March.
Although the state's jobless rate continues to trend higher than the national average, it has fallen for eight consecutive months, DETR reported.
In Las Vegas, unemployment fell to 11.6 percent, down from 12 percent in March.
"It is partially due to people falling out of the work force," said May Worthey, spokesperson for DETR. "In surveys, when we ask people if they are looking for work, there are people who are discouraged and simply say, 'no, we're not looking for work.'"
Friday's numbers were the lowest reported since May 2009, when the jobless rate increased to 11.3 percent and Nevada's economy was in a freefall.
Unemployment peaked at 14 percent in October 2010 before beginning a slow decline.
Private sector hiring continues to fuel job growth, according to DETR, but those increases are offset by declines in the public sector, which has lost 6,400 jobs since January 2011.
Worthey said that those still out of work need to think outside the box.
"They need to think about doing something different now, even though they have been in their current career for 20 to 30 years," she explains.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent.
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