It has been over five years since COVID was declared a public health emergency and the Las Vegas Strip went dark. On that ominous day that the lights turned off, the implication to the world was clear – Las Vegas was closed for business.
As a result, thousands rushed to apply for unemployment, and the fragility of Nevada’s economy became an issue that could no longer be ignored. Fortunately, state leaders have been hard at work, and Nevada’s economy continues to diversify.
“Nevada is adding jobs at a strong pace – especially in advanced manufacturing, logistics, construction, digital technology, lithium lifecycle, and healthcare,” said Milt Stewart, CEO of NevadaWorks. While the Silver State has by no means arrived, the introduction of jobs outside of hospitality has created pathways for businesses to level up their workforce, ensuring higher wage careers for job seekers in the area of their choice and generating more economic stability.
Nevada maintains a business-friendly reputation and has gained popularity as a business hub, especially when compared to states like California, which is known for excessive bureaucratic red tape. Consequently, more businesses and their industries are flocking to Nevada and the outlook for future job growth is positive. According to a long-term industry projections report published by the Department of Employment and Rehabilitation’s Research and Analysis Bureau, Nevada is projected to experience a total growth of 14.2% in all industries statewide from 2022 to 2032. In goods produced, the growth is projected at 12.8% and for services provided, that rate is 13.7%. These projections indicate robust work options for Nevadans that extend beyond the lights of the Las Vegas Strip.
“Las Vegas is a tourism destination, and we still have to make sure that we maintain that tourism workforce,” said Christopher Sewell, director of DETR. “But also, many people are moving into logistics and warehousing, and we want to make sure that we are upskilling people who may want to get out of their current career.”
Companies such as Amazon already have multiple warehouses in Nevada and are major contributors to Nevada’s projected job growth. These companies offer careers in multiple sectors with a variety of wage options for workers. Occupations in labor, freight, and stock specifically are projected by DETR to experience some of the highest job growth over the next 10 years with a projected employment percentage change of 37.61%. These jobs require no formal education and, as of 2023, had a median annual wage of $37,330. Jobs in tractor and trailer truck driving also rank high in projected job growth at 26.59% and require little to no post-secondary education, with a median annual salary of $57,720. Comparatively, careers in operation management, which generally require a bachelor’s degree, are expected to grow at 14.28% and earn a salary of $90,320.
More jobs in Nevada require a more skilled workforce. And unlike the past, where a four-year degree guaranteed a worker with intelligence, skill and the means for upward mobility, more businesses are now pushing for certificates.
“In Nevada, apprenticeships are accelerating, and middle-scale jobs are really increasing,” said Stewart. “These are the jobs that may require training or certification. They require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree, and oftentimes less than an associate’s degree. Training institutions are starting to promote a clear pathway model with stackable industry-recognized credentials.”
These clear pathways allow workers to avoid the oftentimes astronomical costs of higher education in pursuit of credentials with a quicker and more flexible turnaround time for actual employment within an industry. And while this means that Nevadans can get to work more quickly, life happens to everyone.
Kids get sick, relationships become complicated, the car battery dies and, at the end of the day, the rent is still due. For many, life’s challenges make the path to upward mobility nearly impossible when faced with the day-to-day requirements of life.
“Cost of living, limited access to healthcare, transportation, sometimes training in the rural areas, or access to training because there are very few training facilities, can all be barriers for the workforce,” said Stewart. “What we try to do is remove those challenges or barriers.
For example, childcare costs are expensive, so to try and mitigate them during training, we aim to provide some sort of childcare assistance and/or transportation assistance to help them get on their feet and for a certain period afterwards, so that they can get their feet underneath them in that new job. But there is no silver bullet. We have multiple funding streams, and we try to weave all of it together because our funding is all public funding. Our goal is to help with some of those expenses so that these folks can be successful in training and then also successful in the placement in those talents.”
The resources that Nevada Works offers businesses and their employees is only one example of the various programs and initiatives created by Nevada to support its workforce.
“One tool that we have here at GOED is the Workforce Innovation for a New Nevada Fund,” said Elaine Silverstone, director of workforce development at GOED. “We call that the WINN Fund. The WINN Fund is designed to support economic development in a very strategic and meaningful way, but it is an industry-led workforce training model.”
This program aims to equip Nevada businesses with the skilled employees they need and has invested more than $17 million in strategic investments since its inception. EmployNV Business Hub is another state initiative that seeks to level up Nevada’s workforce by providing businesses with the resources they need for a skilled workforce.
“We have five EmployNV Business Hub locations here in southern Nevada and two locations up in northern Nevada,” said Jaime Cruz, Executive Director of Workforce Connections. “These are places where businesses can go and access no-cost resources to help them grow their business.”
The resources that Nevada offers its businesses would not be possible without intense collaboration throughout the state. “Nevada is making progress, and our industry sector partnerships are one of the key reasons why,” said Stewart. “Collectively, we need to continue to align our efforts and increase collaboration to fully close the skills gap and build a talent pipeline that keeps pace with industry growth.”
This collaboration allows state agencies to provide different resources and services to job providers and their seekers by addressing major challenges, including the skills and talent gap of employees.
“GOED brings in companies that need a skilled workforce, and we work together,” said Sewell. “There is a partnership between GOED and DETR. They bring in the businesses, and we help create those employees for those businesses. It is a partnership. Any business, whether they are looking to move to the state of Nevada or they are a company that has been here for decades, can reach out to us. We can help pay for that upskilling so that there is no out-of-pocket cost for the employer. We can help pay for certificates. We can help pay for training. That is what we do and that is how we want to help employers,” he added.
While Nevada has unified to make strides in economic diversification and offers tools to businesses to enhance their workforce, not all Nevadans are ready and willing to work. Unemployment rates in Nevada continue to exceed the national average despite their general downward trend. According to DETR, in August of 2024, Nevada’s unemployment rate was at 5.9% compared to the rest of the United States at 4.4%. A year later, this August, Nevada’s rate declined to 5.3% but was still above the national average of 4.5%.
While there have always been a variety of factors that impact unemployment, Nevada’s workforce is falling short.
“For decades, this country has relied on a steady immigrant population that comes from building a railroad and the agricultural and industrial revolution,” said Cruz. “We have relied on a steady immigration workforce, and that has declined. And we also have relied on birthing our own workforce. Birth rates in this country have suddenly declined over the last few decades. Coupled to that, the largest generation in American history, the baby boomer generation, will all be retired in the next few years. When you combine those things, there is a tremendous numbers gap between what the workforce needs and what the new workforce is.”
The upcoming generation is also presenting challenges for Nevada’s future workforce by choosing to sit out completely. While this is undoubtedly a sign of the times, indicating an obsession with delayed adolescence and casual culture, the impact of young Nevadans choosing not to become responsible and contributing members of society is far-reaching.
“Clark County School District graduates roughly 25,000 kids every year,” said Cruz. “These are 18-year-olds who need to be entering either the workforce or continuing their skill acquisition pathway in the post-secondary system, joining the military, joining an apprenticeship, getting vocational training, or going to community college or the university to better prepare themselves for their career. The problem is that not all of them are. Half of them do have a robust plan by the time they graduate, but then those who enroll in that plan do not succeed. Roughly only a quarter of those who are graduating are succeeding, meaning that three-quarters of them are not robustly engaged with meaningful post-secondary skill acquisition plans or even employment.
Consequently, we currently have close to 45,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in school or are not working. And that is a huge burden for us to carry when we have an economy that keeps moving and employers that continue to need workers.” The battle against a young generation’s indifference is a hard-fought one; however, state leaders, including Nevada schools, employers and philanthropists, are united in their efforts to address it. “We all need to pitch in to call the challenge to reconnect those who are not currently connected, but to make sure that the pipeline actually stops producing these disconnected kids,” said Cruz. “We call it an opportunity youth initiative, and we have a strategic plan that we put together to, in the next five years, reduce this group from growing. Because, again, if we do not, it is going to compound the problem.”
Nevada has made excellent strides in economic development since the shockwave of the recent pandemic. While still undoubtedly the entertainment capital of the world, Nevada has dipped its toes into a variety of industries ensuring that should the lights ever go out again, Nevada will not be left in the dark. And despite real issues with the next generation of workers in Nevada (or the lack thereof), state agencies offer businesses and their employees ample resources to ensure that Nevada has a ready, able and skilled workforce. “Nevada is trying to tap into all of the opportunities that exist, and at the same time, we recognize that we are going to need clear pathways,” said Stewart. “The good news is that there are multiple organizations, including the local board, Workforce Connections, Nevada Works, DETR, GOED, NSHE, and the Office of Workforce Innovation, that are all working together and aligning to help. That sounds like common sense, but it has taken a lot of work to get to where we are having intentional conversations and sitting in the same room. The message to land is that the future is bright and there are a lot of organizations that are helping to shape that future, not only for career seekers, but also for businesses too.”
