By Mark Waite

 They’re called “the 99ers,” people who used up all 99 weeks of their unemployment benefits. They could be the hidden statistic marring the optimism over lower unemployment figures.

The Nye County unemployment rate dropped a whole percentage point during 2011, from 16.3 percent at the start of the year, to 15.3 percent in December, according to a report just released by the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation.

While the drop in the unemployment rate may be cause for celebration, DETR analyst Jered McDonald cast some gloom on the party. He said the rates have decreased because some unemployed people gave up looking for work and aren’t picked up in the statistics, “the 99ers.”

“I’d say we’re getting more discouraged workers. We’re seeing our number of unemployed fall, but it’s not necessarily being matched by an increase in employment. That tells me we have some folks that are unemployed and likely not looking for work any more and have fallen out of the labor force. That could be one of the reasons why the unemployment rate has fallen since summer,” McDonald said.

In Nye County, 907 people exhausted their unemployment benefits in 2011, McDonald said. In Clark County 31,835 saw their benefits expire.

Statewide the figure was 53,026, he said.

Nye County unemployment rates are still the highest in the state, which has the highest unemployment rate of any state in the nation.

Nevada recorded a 12.6 percent unemployment rate, a drop from 14.9 percent in December 2010. Bill Anderson, DETR’s chief economist, said “continued modest employment growth, combined with a relatively stable labor force, paved the way for the decline in the rate.”

The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate increased in Las Vegas during December from 12.4 percent to 12.7 percent.

For the entire U.S., the unemployment rate stood at 8.5 percent in December, down from 9.4 percent a year ago.

Nye County unemployment rates peaked at 17.2 percent during July and August, but fell steadily to 15.2 percent by November.

McDonald said the unemployment rate is actually calculated not by the number of people who file for unemployment, but mainly through a household survey. DETR also uses unemployment insurance claims and an employer survey, he said.

The number of unemployed in Nye County listed by DETR dropped by 136 from 2,768 to 2,632 during 2011. But another 234 people were listed as joining the work force in Nye County in 2011, increasing from 16,957 to 17,191. The number of employed rose by 370 from 14,189 to 14,559, a positive number that shows the drop in the unemployment rate isn’t just due to discouraged job seekers.

McDonald reported 1,235 Nye County residents were receiving unemployment benefits in December, a decrease of 189 from 1,424 in January 2011.

Pahrump got 15 jobs from the opening of the Maverik Market in May; Mancha Development predicted 80 workers would be employed when the Denny’s Restaurant opened in September. Red Apple Fireworks received a county license just in time and hired 20 people for the busy Fourth of July season.

The Nye County School Board cut 56 positions last summer to reduce the budget. A report from the school district, dated Nov. 9, lists 679 employees, down from 765 in November 2010 and 833 the year before. Of those 679 employees in the fall of 2011, 306 belonged to the Classroom Teachers Association, which includes primarily teachers but can include a few other positions like counselors.

The Nevada National Security Site NNSS , formerly the Nevada Test Site, another large employer in Nye County, had steady numbers throughout 2011. The NNSS reported 1,541 employees at the end of December, 1,642 workers at the end of June and 1,550 employees at the end of March, 2011. The NNSS didn’t have a breakout on how many were Nye County residents.

Diane Lake, Career Connections manager, previously told the Pahrump Valley Times there were some layoffs in the casinos in the hot summer. Apparently, the Pahrump Nugget is not one of them.

“We’re pretty proud of the fact we haven’t had to release anyone due to our business levels,” said Jeremy Jenson, general manager of the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino, one of the biggest employers in town with 300 workers. “Our employment level has stayed flat over the year.”

Lake said the unemployment rate figures aren’t accurate, as they don’t include people who have exhausted their benefits. Whether it’s accurate or not, incumbent Nevada politicians bragged about the lower unemployment rate figures.

“I am encouraged by the overall report of this month’s unemployment figures, with job growth slowly but surely returning to Nevada’s economy,” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said. “This year as we help businesses expand and recruit new businesses to Nevada, we will continue our focus on getting Nevada working again.”

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement: “We continue to see signs of progress in Nevada’s economy, but far too many workers are still struggling to find jobs in our state. We must work together in Congress to pass a year-long extension of the payroll tax cut to keep dollars in the pockets of middle-class families who need them most. It shouldn’t be a fight to pass common-sense, job-creating policies like the payroll tax cut, or to rebuild our roads, schools and bridges.”

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said: “News that Nevada’s unemployment numbers have improved is welcome news. The fact remains that far too many Nevadans are still struggling to stay in their homes, find good paying jobs and provide a better future for their children.

“Washington needs to get serious about passing policies that make a difference Nevadans can feel. By reforming the tax code, reducing government spending, and decreasing burdensome regulations, Washington can help create the long-term economic recovery Nevadans deserve.”