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Finding jobs in Nevada(click here) became more difficult during May, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Unemployment in the state climbed 0.7 percent from April’s 10.6 percent to 11.3 percent. This is the highest joblessness has been in Nevada since this data started being recorded in 1976, according to the State Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

BLS data shows that the state’s jobless rate was only 6.1 percent during the same month of 2008, which is a significant increase in 12 months time. On top of this, Nevada’s unemployment rate continued to be considerably higher than the national average of 9.4 percent.

During May approximately 158,500 people were looking for Nevada jobs. This is an increase of 10,400 newly unemployed workers from the previous month.

Last month leisure, hospitality and casino sector increased by 800 positions. This could have something to do with the job situation improving in other areas, which in turn enabled more individuals to travel to Nevada. Other industries that saw an increase in hiring included business services manufacturing, which gained 500 and 100 new jobs respectively.

Employment in the state’s education and health services sector decreased by 400 jobs, which is somewhat surprising considering this industry was previously thought to be recession proof. Other industries that posted job losses included construction and the government sector, which lost 200 and 100 positions each.

Statewide the number of jobs has fallen 6.1 percent during the last 12 months. The largest declines noted by the BLS for this time period occurred in the construction industry, which has seen a 20.3 percent decline in the last year. This translates to a loss of 25,300 positions. With fewer people unable to purchase homes, the need for new construction projects has fallen drastically. On top of this, there have been issues that have caused several casino projects to have to post-pone finishing their structures.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maryland’s unemployment rate rose once again in May. The 0.4 percent increase took the figure from April 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent, which means that more people struggled to find jobs in Maryland during the month. Currently the unemployment rate is the highest the state has seen since July of 1983, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Joblessness in the area remains significantly lower than the national average of 9.4 percent, regardless of this increase. Despite this, the figure is somewhat disheartening when compared to that of last May. During the same month in 2008 only 4.1 percent of the state’s population was unable to find work.

The rise in unemployment means that more than 212,000 people in the state are currently looking for work. This means that the number of individuals collecting jobless benefits went up by approximately 25,000 claimants between the end of April and May. During the month 2.7 million people were employed in the state.

Jobs in Maryland have fallen by 2.5 percent during the last 12 months. The largest losses experienced have been seen in the mining, logging and construction sector. During the last year, this industry has seen a 15.1 percent decrease in employment. The negative effects of the housing market crisis on the need for construction workers has caused much of this.

Only two areas of employment have posted an increased number of jobs during the last 12 months. Due to the necessity of many of the services provided by the education and health sector, employers in this industry have been able to provide 2.3 percent more jobs this year.

The government sector was the only other area where an increase in employment was reported. Over the course of the last year there has been a 1.1 percent increase in these jobs. This is likely due positions being created in or near the nation’s capital and the fact that the Census Bureau has been hiring for its next survey.

With the economy suffering across the country, many people lack the ability to spend money on necessary goods. Because of this, many retailers have had to cut jobs in order to keep their profit margins up. Throughout the nation there has been a decline in the number of people employed by this industry.

Despite this, one large-scale retailer is actually benefiting from the rest of the country’s need to tighten their belts. Wal-Mart’s already loyal customer basis has grown as people search for a way to save money wherever they can, which means the company needs to hire new workers so that they can expand. This means new positions, including 1,300 jobs in Florida, according to a recent press release put out by the company.

Wal-Mart announced last October that the company hopes to open somewhere between 142 and 157 new or expanded stores throughout the country before the end of the 2010 fiscal year. As part of this plan, the company will have to hire a large number of new workers.

“During this difficult economic time, we’re proud to be able to create quality jobs for thousands of Americans this year,” said Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright in the release. “At Walmart, we offer competitive pay and benefits and real opportunities for our associates to advance and build careers. Job creation is just one way in which we’re working hard every day to help people across this country live better.”

In order to run these new or expanded locations, Wal-mart says it will have to hire 22,000 new workers. Of these positions the company expects to create 1,500 in Michigan. Another 1,300 are planned for both Arizona and Florida. Stores in New Jersey and Utah will each receive 1,200 new jobs. Another 1,100 job seekers in Virginia will be hired for new positions. Several other states will see the creation of another 1,000 jobs individually including: California and South Carolina. The company has not yet released where the remaining jobs will be created.

Positions the company will be hiring for are varied. According to the press release they include: store management, pharmacists, human resource managers, customer service associates, cashiers, sales associates and several other jobs.

Many of the positions, both full-time and part-time, come with benefits including: healthcare, profit sharing, 401 (k) contributions, stock purchase plan and an employee discount on merchandise sold at Wal-Mart. Even those who did not contribute to their own 401 (k) and profit sharing plans in 2008 still received 4 percent of their income placed in to these accounts from the company, as long as the employee had been with Wal-Mart for a year, according to the press release

Those interested in working for this company should check out it’s website or visit a nearby store’s career portal, which is usually located in the customer service area

Since so many people are currently unemployment, businesses across the nation are finding themselves overwhelmed by the huge number of resumes they receive for each available job listing they post online. Weeding out candidates can be difficult without some form of hiring assessment, which can explain why many companies providing these employee tests continue to extend their services.

According to a recent press release, SurePayroll has just launched its pre-employment screening services geared toward assisting small businesses in assessing potential new hires. Amongst these services are background checks, behavioral assessments, skills testing, personal development tests and drug screening. All of SurePayroll’s products will be available to small business owners with out the necessity of a long-term contract.

Since many smaller companies don’t have the budget to pay for a year’s worth of these products, offering such services without a contract makes perfect sense. Businesses with fewer employees tend to only need hiring assessments and pre-employment screening when they have a position they are trying to fill, meaning that their need is only temporary. Because of this, a large percentage of said companies would skip using these products altogether if they were not offered in this or a similar fashion.

“Small business employers can’t afford mistakes when it comes to the health of their businesses, so it’s essential for them to know the people they bring to their teams are top-notch and will contribute to growth and success, and not waste time and money,” said SurePayroll’s Vice President of Product Management Steve Kania in the recent release. “We designed our screening services to provide businesses thorough, affordable ways to recruit only the best talent and avoid costly hiring mistakes. And we’ve made them convenient to access and use whenever small businesses need them.”

The price of SurePayroll’s product depends on the type of employment testing needed, but some services start as low as $21.95.