Sunday, October 28, 2007

What Happens in Vegas...

A worker shortage? Bet on it!
Can't find a job? Don't tell that to employers in the gaming and hospitality industry. If you're an out-of-work dealer, food server or preparer, maid, front desk person, technology expert, valet car parker, casino or hotel manager, or any of the myriad of other workers in the industry, employers are crying for you. Once legal gaming in the U.S. was the provenance of Las Vegas and Reno but the spread of legalized gaming to New Jersey, riverboats, Indian reservations, and beyond has placed a premium on many industry jobs over the past couple of decades.
Is there an end in sight? The Las Vegas Srip alone has $ 28 billion in construction scheduled to open within the next five years. Pull out your calculator and you'll see that translates into the need for an additional 50,000 employees to tend the new hotels, casinos, restaurants, etc. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas boasts the top ranked hotel school in the country (so does Cornell, but that's another story) but neither UNLV nor the gaggle of dealer schools can keep up with the required pool of qualified employees. Many hotel/casinos have opted to hire students before graduation and complete their education on the job.
Although the travel and accommodation industry numbers are projected to dip slightly this year, double digit increases are expected within the next three years. Las Vegas has responded with some traditional methods such as opening additional dealer schools, and some not-so-traditional methods including such grow-your-own strategies as providing scholarships to high school students who opt to enter the hospitality industry via college training.
Las Vegas continues to grow all aspects of its community. That means shortages of employees not only in the hospitality industry but in all facets of customer service, teaching, and others. "If you hire, they will come."
Dr. Forgot

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