Las Vegas tourism declines 11.3% hurting employment and workers in Nevada

Labor market In Las Vegas, Nevada’s economic engine, it has remained stagnant as tourism to the Strip declines.

Nevada’s unemployment rate fell slightly from 5.4% to 5.3%, but that decline reflects fewer people working or looking for work, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) August 2025 economic report.

The state’s workforce shrank by about 1,300 people in August, while total employment remained flat at about 1.57 million jobs, which was unchanged from a year ago and down by about 3,800 jobs from July.

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David Schmidt, DETR’s chief economist, rated its labor market as “largely flat.” However, he drew particular attention to the fact that private sector employment fell by 6,000 jobs during the month, led by statistically significant declines in the construction, accommodation and food service industries.

“We have not seen an increase in new claims for unemployment benefits from workers in those industries, and data on hours worked and hourly wages remain flat, indicating continued demand for workers,” Schmidt said.

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Poor labor market This comes in light of the continued weakness of tourism, a problem that has been ongoing for several months.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which releases a monthly summary of tourism data from several agencies including the LVCVA, Harry Reid International Airport, the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), reported that Southern Nevada’s tourism sector showed clear signs of stress in June 2025 with visitor volume down 11.3% compared to the same month of the year. the past.

Conference attendance also decreased by 10.7% in June, confirming weak demand for it Leisure and business travel.

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Hotel performance metrics also highlighted a decline in tourism, with occupancy rates falling by 6.5% to 78.7%. As a result, revenue per available room declined by approximately 14%, indicating lower profitability for resorts and hotels, according to the report.

However, the report noted that gaming revenues in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, rose a modest 3.5%, suggesting that visitors who came spent more.

However, service workers in the area lamented that the decline in foot traffic on the Strip has decimated their earnings, which rely heavily on tips.

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Sebastian Espinoza, a bus driver at Caesars Palace who works on an “on call” basis, told local news outlet KSNV in August that he rarely received a phone call to pick up a shift this year. Despite his decade-long experience in the industry, Espinoza said he also hasn’t been able to find work elsewhere, according to the outlet.