AT&T plans to open two call centers in Nevada that will bring at least 650 jobs to the state. A facility in Las Vegas already employs 80 people with plans to hire upwards of 350 by June. A call center in Reno will open in February that will ultimately employ another 350. These positions pay an average of $20 per hour with full benefits – a move that sets a new high mark for call centers.

AT&T has opened nine call centers in Nevada since 2007, with four more, including the Reno facility, are scheduled to open by the end of 2009.

David Condit, AT&T president of state and legislative affairs, said that the company is committed to bringing jobs back to the United States. The Las Vegas jobs are among 5,000 positions that had been outsourced to offshore locations. While foreign workers cost less to employ, there is often a language barrier that complicates the process and frustrates the consumer.

“Oversees call center workers encounter problems if they aren’t following a script or hear regional slang,” said Somer Hollingsworth, chief executive of the Nevada Development Authority.

Las Vegas is a prime location because of its land space (for large employee parking lots), and telecommunications infrastructure. The company is looking to train people who are interested in technology and customer service.

Though AT&T doesn’t offer its Internet service to consumers in Southern Nevada, it does provide an array of services in the northern part of the state.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs, Nevada Jobs

With unemployment steadily rising across the nation, tourism has been seriously effected. Fewer people can afford a vacation, let alone gambling away their much needed money. This is in turn effects employers ability to offer Las Vegas jobs in this industry.

Already this year two new major hotel-casino projects have been put off until economic conditions are better. Because the current market is oversaturated with job seekers, employers who still have vacant jobs in the area are now receiving an overwhelming number of resumes.

Wynn, which will soon be opening Encore, is in the process of trying to hire staff for 5,300 new jobs. The company began accepting application in July and has already received information from more than 65,000 interested job seekers.

“Without question, the combination of the current economic climate and Wynn’s reputation as an employer of choice contributes to the high levels of interest among applicants we are currently experiencing,” said Stephanie Rosol, who is Wynn Las Vegas’ vice president of human resources. “However, the fact remains that we are still looking for people who share our dedication to excellence and passion for impeccable, personalized service. This is truly an exciting time. There’s a rich and varied talent pool out there right now and Wynn proudly offers great jobs with great pay and competitive, comprehensive benefits.”

The positions with Wynn’s Encore that applicants are vying for are for everything imaginable that a hotel and casino will need to be fully operational. Jobs exist housekeeping, hotel operations, security, food and beverage preparation and service along with retail and casino positions. Aside from hiring for the Encore, Wynn Las Vegas has opportunities available for job seekers.

Encore is expected to open in December of this year. Already suite reservations are being accepted for dates as early as January 2009. The hotel and casino will have 11 retail outlets, seven different bars and lounges, five restaurants, along with a nightclub and a spa and salon.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs

Las Vegas’ economy is tied to the city’s gaming industry. The problem with this is that people’s ability to afford to lose millions in Casinos is directly tied to the economy. Because of this, instability and recession are taking a toll on the city’s most popular industry and effecting the number of Las Vegas jobs (Click here) employers are able to provide.

Recently, construction of the Echelon Hotel- Casino was put on hold due to the slow economy. Boyd Gaming does not plan on picking the project back up for at least a year, meaning that the much needed jobs Echelon would have created won’t be brought to the area fro some time.

“Cleary, as we look at it, we think in the next nine to 12 months--we think in the next three to four quarters--that we will be at a place where we can restart the project,” said Keith Smith, Boyd Gaming’s president and CEO.

According to Smith, the decision to step back from the project had nothing to do with the finances of his company. He citied issues with the smaller investors involved as the reason the Echelon has to wait.

One such partner, Morgan’s Hotel Group was unable to find an institution willing to lend them the funds necessary to build the two boutiques the company has committed to building. Another investor, General Growth Properties, which was in charge of constructing the project’s mall, was unable to get high end stores to agree to long term leases.

“It’s interesting,” said Smith. “When you turn the clock back a year, you could never guessed that we would be in this position a year later.

On August 1st the project was officially put on hold. Over 800 construction workers were told that they would not be needed again for some time now. Already the construction sector in Las Vegas has taken a hit from the housing market slump, which means these individuals will likely struggle to other employment until work on the Echelon is resumed.

The Echelon is expected to create 10,000 jobs when it opens, which Boyd originally planned for 2010. The hotel and casino’s opening is now scheduled for 2011. By then, Smith believes that the economy will have recovered and the funds to finance the rest of the project will be available to the company’s partners.

In the mean time, Encore is planned to open in December and is expected to hire 5,300 people. Project CityCenter, which is expected to open in 2009, is still on schedule and will be creating 12,000 new jobs.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs

“Data supports the idea that Nevada is likely in a recession,” Jeff Thredgold, an economist for Nevada State Bank, says. This comes after the state unemployment rate dropped a mere 0.1 percent in April.

Although this may seem like good news, the percentage of the population that is unable to find work remained 1.1 higher than it was in the previous year, according to the Nevada Department of employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Statewide employment increased by 1,400 since March, but was down by 5,800 since April of 2007.

The Reno jobless rate also dropped in April by 0.2 percent to 6 percent. James Shabi, a state labor economist, said that this small decline in unemployment in Reno and elsewhere in Nevada since March is smaller than usually experienced in the area during the spring time. According to Shabi, this means that the economy is soft.

PPG Industries, which is a world-wide supplier of paint, recently opened its first new plant in the United States since 1975 in the Reno area. This plant will be supplying paint to 250 stores in the western part of the country and will produce approximately 15 million gallons a year. It is expected to create hundreds of Reno jobs.

PPG managers said that the company chose to build the plant in the area because of it’s central location and the available work force. “It’s unbelievable the amount of potential I see in the area,” said Reno’s Plant Manager, Terry McGinnis. “My family traveled out here and I see phenomenal opportunities.”

These jobs in Reno will start around $18.00 an hour, plus benefits. The plant will create positions for both high school graduates and those with college degrees. The company hopes that expansion will be in its future and that it will be able to create even more Reno jobs as time passes.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs, Reno Jobs

As the life expectancy of the general population continues to increase, the healthcare industry has to grow, at least in number of employees, in order to accommodate the larger work load. Because of this, nurses are in such high demand that many hospitals are unable to keep enough on staff, particularly in cities such as Las Vegas.

Between the size of the population and the fact that the area does not have enough residents who are properly trained, nursing jobs in Las Vegas exist in abundance. According to the US Department of Labor Bureau's statistics, registered nurse is the largest healthcare occupation. Approximately 2.5 million jobs exist throughout the country, 59 percent of which are in hospitals. The remainder of these nursing jobs are located between private practices, nursing homes, and other care facilities.

It is believed that registered nurses are projected to generate about 587,00 new jobs between 2006 and 2016, which is a 23 percent increase, making it one of the fastest growing careers in the country. Those searching for nursing jobs will be happy to know overall job opportunities in Las Vegas are expected to be excellent. As the country is forced to face a shortage of qualified nurses, salaries will rise as hospitals compete to attracted the best employees possible.

Due to the low numbers of nurses in the area, Las Vegas hospitals are having to look elsewhere for new employees. Internet recruitment for this career continues to grow as the city tries to avoid being hit hard by the expected nursing shortage. Because of increasing salaries and the number of available positions, areas like Las Vegas and parts of California are considered some of the best for those searching for nursing jobs to relocate to.

Salaries will continue to be effected by the level of education the individual in question has. Different specialties require different degrees, but jobs exist for everyone from those with nursing diplomas to those with graduate degrees.

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs

Synonymous with gambling and a glamorous night life, Las Vegas is well known for its tourism industry and for being an entertainment mecca of the world. But Las Vegas has much more to offer than entertainment and gaming.

As a major center of financial, business, and services, the city has effectively parlayed the entertainment capital into a mega city for job-seekers. An extremely diversified economy offers Las Vegas jobs in many areas of business and the benefits of living in one of the most exciting cities in the world is a great "plus."

Entertainment and tourism are obviously critical to the city's economy, brining more than 37 million people annually to visit the city. Visitor's spend billions of dollars annually and over 20 percent of jobs in the Las Vegas area are gaming related. This offers opportunities in casinos, show places, public transportation, hotels, restaurants, and other places where tourists frequent.

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Las Vegas was not spared the decline in tourism that many other larger cities experienced. The city saw much of their local economy suffer as a result of decreased tourism and fewer visitors to the city. Coupled with the issues plaguing the city around attracting visitors to other areas of the city in addition to casinos, Las Vegas searched for the answer to even more economic and job growth.

And they succeeded!

Thanks to the leadership and vision for the future of this great city, jobs have increased significantly in the past few years. New commercial and residential developments began to materialize in the mid-2000’s and this created a need for more employees in construction, engineering, and interior design. The completion of some of the new development and expansion of city tourist attractions successfully drove increased population growth.

The growing population has created new demands for construction in the residential, commercial, office, and industrial areas of the city. An ongoing demand for highly skilled construction workers continues to be a need in this economically booming city.

An increase in population growth requires more jobs in the areas of service industries and financial sectors. More people also mean a need for more schools and child-care facilities. There is a high demand for employees in the educational system, including teachers, guidance counselors, administration, and maintenance personnel.

Las Vegas, Nevada has experienced phenomenal population and job growth over the past twenty years and the outlook continues to be promising. With Nevada's low taxes, it makes the city an attractive place to live with lower costs of living.

The gaming and tourism industry will continue to fuel the economy with the influx of tourists and visitors to this great city; but the financial, construction, service, and educational sectors also continue to grow. The future outlook for growth and high demand for individuals in these jobs creates a wealth of opportunities for thousands of job-seekers.

Las Vegas is a great place to live, work, and play. And remember, what happens in Vegas, continues to drive the need for even more jobs!

Labels: Las Vegas Jobs