Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

Las Vegas—Continued slowdown in tourism in this city has pushed unemployment in Clark County in September to a record high of 13.9 %, the worst in three decades.

The figure is much higher than the 7.4% rate in the same month last year, figures from the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) showed.

The jobless rate in Clark County , the nation’s 15th largest county, puts the state’s unemployment at 13.3%, which is a lot higher than the nation’s average of 9.8% for September.

Blamed for the escalating unemployment is dwindling tourist visits in the county which covers Henderson , Boulder City , Mesquite , North Las Vegas and Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world.

Lackluster tourism in Las Vegas has forced major hotels and casinos to impose massive layoffs since the start of the year. In September alone, casinos and hotels laid off a total of 1,200 workers.

Latest data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) show convention attendance in fell 58.9% in August compared to the same month last year. Similarly, visitor volume dropped almost 4% during the same period.

"As challenges in the US and global economies persisted, visitor volume… was down compared to August 2008," the LVCVA said in its online report.

"The reduction in travel for business and meetings in the current economic climate combined with scheduling differences resulted in an overall convention attendance decline of 58.9% vs. last August," it added in its report.

Other tourist destinations in Clark County also showed massive decline. In Mesquite , visitor volume in August dropped 41.2% compared to last year, while Laughlin showed an 8.8% decline in the same period.