If there is one city that embodies the new American economy, it is Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been the fastest growing US city for 30 years: the population doubles about every decade. Like most successful parts of the country, its growth has depended on a very successful service-based industry, and many new arrivals. It is one of the few places in the US that has carried on creating jobs online and off since 2001.

As housing starts decline, not only do construction workers lose their on-site jobs, but many factories building appliances and carpets cut workers, too. Employees have no shortage of opportunities, and there is a lot of competition for workers. There are always Las Vegas jobs available. You have to work hard to attract talent to yourself. It's a very tight marketplace with a very short supply of viable talent, and it is expected that this trend to continue for the next 12 to 18 months.

In the manager, senior manager and executive levels, we are seeing even more urgency among employers looking for good candidates both locally and from outside Las Vegas. Analysts say it is hard to find workers partly because the local economy is growing so quickly. As employment rates go up around the rest of the country, we expect economic migration numbers might fall off a bit as people have opportunities elsewhere.

Improved prospects in other markets could also magnify Las Vegas' rising cost of living as an issue for companies looking to recruit for jobs in Las Vegas. In gaming and tourism, 53 percent of companies said higher home prices are hurting hiring, while 50 percent of employers in the retail and service sectors reported trouble recruiting. Nearly half of restaurant companies 46 percent said housing prices were creating recruiting issues, while just 35 percent of respondents in the finance sector cited real estate values as a hiring hurdle.

Economic pressures are not the only factors hurting recruitment strategies for local companies. Local schools and colleges are not properly preparing students for today's work force. In addition, many high-school students are missing technical training that would enable them to practice a specific trade. Among the Las Vegas employers, one of the main things they talk about is the employability skills of the available work force.

They are seeing individuals who lack language skills and a basic work ethic. It is not that the schools are not trying. It is that they are not specialized enough in the areas employers are demanding such as Information technology and other highly skilled areas. "We need to look at more creative ways to educate young people and get them better prepared for the work force and life in general” comments one Las Vegas business owner.

College should be an option for every student, but schools should also be training students to enter apprenticeships and other postsecondary options. Many agree Las Vegas area guidance counselors of local high schools need to expand perspectives about career opportunities and vocational training for those not planning to attend college.

There are jobs that offer $20, $30 and $40 an hour that do not require four-year degrees -- plumbers, carpenters and certain health care specialties, for example. The schools need to focus on giving kids better hands-on experience, but employers also need to reach out to the community, build better relationships with schools, and make internships more available to students. Still the local job market and employment prospects are bright in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs

School systems throughout the country are struggling to keep educators in the classroom. At one time hiring enough new teachers to keep up with the increasing number of students was the main problem. Now it seems that convincing educators to stay is the issue.

The Clark County school district, which includes the city of Las Vegas, is not unaware of the fact that teacher retention, as well as recruiting, has become a problem. During the 2005-2006 school year the district lost 9.3 percent of their teaching staff, which means approximately 17,353 educators resigned by the end of the spring semester, which greatly impacts the need to refill teaching jobs in Las Vegas. The percentage of teachers that quit each year has been steadily rising. At the end of the 2004-2005 school year, the district lost 6.5 percent of their teachers and the year before that resulted in the loss of 5.99 percent of educators.

Before the Clark County Board of Education can focus on raising the level of teacher retention, they must fill the vacant classrooms for the coming school year. As of June 29, the district was 766 teachers short. Still, the shows some progress from two weeks prior when the district was lacking 1,163 educators. Many of the positions that still need to be filled are in the more difficult disciplines such as math or science. There is also a strong need for special education teachers.

Clark County teachers are also concerned over the fact that their might be some change in the union representing them. Currently Teamsters Local 14 is campaigning to replace the Clark County Education Association. In order to do this, Local 14 will have to get more than half of the districts licensed educators to sign pledge cards.

At this time the leaders of Local 14 seem confident in their ability to do this, despite the fact that some individuals believe that the organization isn’t interested in what’s best for the teachers. Some are worried that the organization is simply concerned with getting their hands on educators health trust, approximately $75 million a year, so that they can replace it with a cheaper HMO.

The current representative of the area’s educators has been responsible for winning 92 percent of grievances against the district last year. It has also been responsible for a $4,000 raise in new teacher’s salaries and a $7,000 raise for veteran teachers.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs

The need for skilled healthcare workers in the City of Lights is exploding.

Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, with a population that skyrocketed 83 percent between 1990 and 2000. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau Data (July 2005), the population increased 14 percent to 545,147, up from 478,434 in 2000. This was in sharp contrast to the rest of the country, in which many cities experienced a decrease. Las Vegas’ burgeoning population growth has created many job openings across several industries; however none can compare with the escalation of Las Vegas healthcare jobs.

A report released in 2001 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that Nevada has the worst nurse-to-population ratio in the country, with only 520 nurses per 100,000 people. Needless to say, Las Vegas nursing jobs aren't hard to find. The situation will continue to slide as population figures climb. Nevada's six nursing schools produce a total of 300 to 350 graduates each year; however experts have estimated that in order to keep up with the state’s growth expectations, at least 767 new nurses are needed each year.

City officials are committed to supporting Las Vegas healthcare jobs with a bigger healthcare infrastructure.

Recognizing the need for a solution, officials are creating more Las Vegas jobs by investing in the expansion of the healthcare infrastructure. Most of the 14 healthcare facilities in Southern Nevada are either undergoing expansion now; or will be by 2009. Construction on new healthcare facilities began in 2005, with a total of 11 new facilities planned by 2009.

Additionally, state legislators are investigating the possibility of unifying the region’s scattered nursing job search programs under one flagship facility. Some officials believe this will enhance the state's ability to produce and retain more doctors and nurses, enrich community outreach and education programs, and increase research efforts to improve patient care.

The tremendous demand for Las Vegas healthcare workers has made annual salaries competitive. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, healthcare practitioners and technical staff in Las Vegas are at $64,200, which is nearly $5,000 above the U.S. average. An abundance of excellent career opportunities await healthcare workers looking to relocate to this oasis in the desert.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs