5,667 Jobs in Nevada Created by ARRA

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has helped to create or save more than 5,000 jobs in Nevada.

The federal government recently announced that the $787 billion economic stimulus plan passed early this year has created or saved 5,667 jobs throughout Nevada. So far, Nevada has received $315 million of the $987 million in funding the state is slated to receive from the ARRA.

Overall, Nevada is expected to receive $2.2 billion in stimulus funds, including $700 million in tax savings given to residents and expanded unemployment benefits for for workers who have been laid off.

According to an article by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sen. Harry Reid recently reported the ARRA has created or saved 6,134 jobs in Nevada. Of those positions, 2,094 were in public schools; 2,064 were in higher education institutions; 615 were in construction; and 437 were in the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation.

Even though many officials and politicians have questioned the validity of the recent reports surrounding stimulus job creation, the federal government reported the stimulus has created 640,329 jobs throughout the country.

Although the state's unemployment rate has continued to inch upward, Nevada has managed to add some jobs as of late.

During September, Nevada saw its unemployment rate increase from 13.2 percent to 13.3 percent, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. The state hasn't seen its unemployment rate decrease since December 2005, when it went from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent.

Nevada had a total non-farm employment of 1,182,300 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 1,179.600 workers during August, but a 6.1 percent decrease from last year.