Silver State Times

The state of Nevada has suffered some of the worst outcomes following lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing the third-largest job loss as of May 2021. 

According to a recent study by University of New Hampshire Researchers, Nevada had the third-largest net job shortfall as of May 2021, behind only Hawaii and New York. The state's job industry experienced losses in arts, entertainment and recreation by 24.4%, information by 13.6% and in educational services by 10.9%.

“On and off again closures appear to be building animosity and apathy among the public and are proving ineffective,” the Nevada Hospital Association said. 

The group has been vocal about their displeasure with Gov. Steve Sisolak's actions as he closed the state, but the governor stands by his decisions. 

“What began in uncertain times will conclude with a feeling of hope and confidence in our comeback,” Sisolak said. “Over the past four months, we came together to provide the largest small business assistance funding in state history, approve precedent-setting education funding, and prioritize job creation through measures such as the Infrastructure Bank and legislation that will accelerate Nevada’s new energy economy.”

Despite his positive framing, the state’s GDP has decreased by 0.8% from 2019-2021.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Nevada’s economy in a number of unprecedented and difficult-to-predict ways,” said Frederick Steinmann, an assistant professor at University of Nevada-Reno. “Nevada’s economy is highly integrated with global and national economic changes. Within the state, and despite considerable efforts to diversify the state’s economic base, changes in a few key industry sectors, such as housing, agriculture, mining, health care and tourism, can have widespread impacts on the overall economic fortunes of local governments, private sector firms and individuals.” 

The state’s accommodations and food industry, which is world renowned, is at more than 26% below its levels of staffing prior to the pandemic. Nevada’s unemployment rate is 2% higher than the national average, coming in at 7.8%

A WalletHub study, which was conducted by some of the nation’s leading universities, reported that Nevada had stricter restrictions surrounding the pandemic than 29 other states.