LV Job Growth Still Soaring

Pauline Bell

Monday, Oct. 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

There's no question Las Vegas IS the hottest job market in the country.

But the state's employment chief says Glitter Gulch actually was shortchanged in the Oct. 21 edition of Forbes magazine which reports an increase of 162,000 jobs between January 1990 and July 1996 -- a 38 percent net increase.

The job growth between that period, according to state statistics, was actually 193,900 jobs -- a whopping 48.9 percent increase, said Carol Jackson, director of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

In dissecting the figures to determine where Forbes went wrong, Jackson said the magazine appears to have reported Las Vegas' job numbers for May 1991 to May 1996, leaving out about 17 months' worth of new jobs.

That's not the only good news. Southern Nevada's resort industry is expected to create an estimated 20,000 new jobs in the next 18 to 24 months with the opening of resorts including New York-New York, Orleans, Main Street Station, Sunset Station and The Reserve and expansions at many properties including the Rio, Luxor, Circus Circus and Caesars Palace.

If economists' figures are correct, that translates into up to 40,000 new jobs: the initial 20,000 in the resort industry and 20,000 nongaming, nonresort positions to meet growing demands for housing and other services by the resort employees.

But are the streets of Las Vegas really paved with gold when it comes to finding a job? Is it as simple as stepping off the plane, walking into the first business you see, filling out an application and going to work the next day?

For many transplants, that is the case, especially for those looking for clerical positions, technical jobs, building industry posts, manufacturing jobs and light industrial positions, according to Southern Nevada employment agency officials and human resource directors.

"The most explosive industry in Las Vegas is technical services -- computer programmers, information service directors, technicians, local area networking people. That is what I consider to be the boomer right now," said Duane Hogge, director of business development for The Matrix Group, which places both permanent and temporary workers.

"Good administrative and clerical people are at a premium. We have no problem placing them," said Bea Stewart, president and co-owner of The Matrix Group. She said it sometimes used to take her three months to find positions for an executive secretary. Now a qualified applicant can be placed almost immediately.

But, many companies are looking for experience in the clerical areas, said Jane Whisner, operations manager for The Eastridge Group, a temporary and permanent placement agency.

"The training curve needs to be very short. They're asking for someone who has, for instance, good computer skills or good phone skills. They'll train on their systems, but they don't want to have to train them on how to use the technology," Whisner said.

Nina Drake, vice president of human resources for Nevada Federal Credit Union said because her organization promotes from within, she sees the most demand for entry-level positions. But, she also has witnessed a growth in the technology area in the last several years.

"As the financial institution business becomes more automated, there is a need for more technology-related people -- PC specialists, programmer analysts, plus we are hiring people with PC skills -- they are becoming more important," she said.

Back-office jobs also are on the rise with the opening of several new telephone service centers like Williams Sonoma, Softbank Services, Citibank, Household Finance and GE Capital.

Teachers also are in demand. The Clark County School District hired 1,275 teachers new to the district this fall and expects to hire an equal number next fall, said Dr. George Ann Rice, assistant superintendent, human resources division.

With the influx of manufacturing companies, there has become a need for light and unskilled laborers such as machine operators, assemblers and warehouse people, said Chris La Torre, office supervisor for Adia Personnel Services.

But there also are jobs that aren't in demand in Southern Nevada and some positions are almost unheard of here.

The number of middle-management positions across all employment sectors is shrinking across the nation and in Las Vegas, employment experts agree. The positions are victims of the downsizing of the last decade and duties have been assumed by senior management with more responsibility and compensation given to lower-level employees.

And, many workers from the Midwest trade industries or those such as steel manufacturing move to Las Vegas to get away from the cold weather, slow economy or have lost jobs and just want to start over.

Whether they find jobs depends on their qualifications and what they're willing to settle for in wages. Casinos are willing to hire them only if they have a very stable work history, Stewart and Hogge agreed.

But articles like the one in Forbes may tend to inflate people's expectations because seldom do such jobs mention that many of the new jobs are entry-level positions or perhaps even menial labor.

"Many people come here because they think just because they had a job at GM for 20 years someone here should hire them. They made $15 to $20 an hour there (at GM) and when they're offered a $5-, $6- or $7-an-hour job in a casino, they'd rather go back (to the Midwest) and wait for their old job to come back," Hogge said.

Job seekers from outside Nevada often have unrealistic salary expectations. Professionals in the employment business call it sticker shock.

"They think the money is just rolling down the streets," said Adia's La Torre. "They (people coming in from California, Hawaii and New York) think the pay is going to be more. In reality it's going to be 20 to 30 percent less and in the case of New Yorkers, maybe even close to 40 to 50 percent. A lot of them get a rude awakening."

The largely service-based economy, historically lower paying than other job sectors, is responsible for the lower wage trend in Southern Nevada. But salaries are starting to go up as the economic base becomes more diverse and as larger corporations come in, Stewart said.

The old adage in the gaming industry was that you had to know someone to get hired. That's still true, but it's changing.

"I do see it opening up, but there is still an element of that. It is still a town where a lot of people are very interconnected. But as Las Vegas has grown and industry has come here from all parts of the country, it's forcing that climate to change," Stewart said.

Articles like the one in Forbes are great publicity for Las Vegas and do wonders to keep the community active, involved and growing. But they do have a down side for employers, Drake said.

"It's just human nature for people to move here, but they don't necessarily do their research to find out what jobs are available, what the job market looks like or anticipate how long it may take to complete a decent job search. I think that's one of the reasons that 4,000 people a month move here and 2,000 leave. As a result, retaining employees becomes difficult," she explained.

Drake recalled one young woman lured to Las Vegas from Hawaii by the low cost of living. "She had a hard time adjusting to the heat and the lack of greenery," the human resources director said.

Across the board, experts recommend that anyone thinking of moving here should definitely visit before they uproot and do their homework while they're here.

"I would buy an airline ticket and come out here only after I did some research. I would get as much information as I could from the Chamber of Commerce, I would do some networking to establish contacts in my field, I would call people and get a feel for what the job market is," Drake advised.

She said anyone doing this should get off the Strip, drive around the housing areas. They should check out schools and shopping and other services.

"Make sure you know what you're getting into. Certainly make some contacts. I would want to feel reasonably comfortable about what my job prospects were rather than simply moving out here and saying 'Oh well, I will find something,'" Drake said.

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