Employment

Starting in the 1990s, between 5,000 and 8,000 people relocated to the Las Vegas valley every month. This trend, along with the wave of megaresort construction, continued until a year ago. Only a third of the population is working in the gaming industry. The Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada Development Authority work to attract more businesses into the Las Vegas valley; the benefits include no corporate income taxes, no taxes on corporate shares, no personal income tax, no inventory tax, and a friendly business climate.

Certain jobs require one or more work cards: (1) sheriff's card, if you work in a casino, (2) health card, if you work with or around food, and (3) alcohol awareness card (TAM) if you serve or work around alcoholic beverages. A background check (including fingerprinting) may also be a requirement for employment in certain positions.

Employment applications in most cases require information about employment history for the past ten years (with explanations for gaps in employment) and detailed personal information, including in some cases information about your parents and siblings. Search for employment application in PDF format from several companies for examples of applications; on some websites, the applications are available online as a form to be filled out page by page, and you cannot see the entire application until all the information has been provided.

Experts claim that less than 15% of the existing openings are advertised in the help wanted ads. You can check the help wanted ads in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main local newspaper.

To see hourly wages for various occupations in Clark County, go to http://detr.state.nv.us/lmi/data/wages/TOC002.htm; for Nevada minimum wage information click here (as of July 1, 2010, the minimum wage is $8.25 an hour without health benefits and $7.25 an hour with health benefits).

Largest Employers

• Clark County School District, 38,200
• Clark County Government, 10,500
• Venetian Hotel & Resort, 9,800
• Bellagio Hotel & Casino, 9,500
• MGM Grand, 9,500
• Wynn Las Vegas, 9,300
• Mandalay Bay, 7,900
• Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino, 6,400
• Mirage Hotel & Casino, 5,700
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, 5,500

To view job openings in the major hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, use their Employment/Careers links on the Casinos page.

Agencies Assisting with Employment and Education

Nevada JobConnect is a statewide network that connects businesses with job seekers at no cost. Some of its services offered at no charge include on-the-job training for new placements and employees, job-related equipment support and incentives for qualified job seekers, one-on-one recruitment services, a database of job-seekers in the state of Nevada, online access to job openings, and up-to-date labor market information. Nevada JobConnect's locations:

• Las Vegas: 3405 S. Maryland Pkwy. 486-0100.
• North Las Vegas: 2827 N Las Vegas Blvd. 486-0200.
• Henderson: 119 Water St. 486-0300.

Visit also http://nvos.state.nv.us/.

The Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow helps under- and unemployed Nevadans with education to secure better employment. 1931 Stella Lake Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89106. 367-4348. www.lasvegasfit.com.

Selected Employers and Job Resources

• City of Las Vegas: http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Apply/jobs.htm
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas: http://jobs.unlv.edu/
• Clark County School District: www.ccsd.net/jobs
• Las Vegas Valley Water District: http://www.lvvwd.com/jobs/jobs.html
• Nevada Department of Personnel; state jobs: https://nvapps.state.nv.us/NEATS/Recruiting/ViewJobsHome.aep
• United States Postas Service: www.usps.com/employment/welcome.htm

Economic Development Organizations

• Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. 641-5822. www.lvchamber.com.
• Las Vegas Convention & Visitor's Authority. 892-0711. www.lvcva.com; www.vegasfreedom.com.
• Nevada Commission of Economic Development. 486-2700. www.expand2nevada.com.
• Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. 684-3849. www.detr.state.nv.us.
• The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an online Occupational Outlook Handbook.

To see a list of career fairs in Las Vegas, follow this link: http://www.lvrj.com/employment/careerfairs.html

See current employment information at the Nevada Workforce Informer website.

All federal jobs are announced to the public at www.usajobs.opm.gov.