Now Hiring Everywhere
Workforce challenges are nothing new to Nevada but seem to have become worse in the past few years. Nearly 90 percent of the business leaders polled said finding qualified employees was their biggest challenge. That challenge is exacerbated considering, of those polled, 72 percent expect to be actively hiring in the next year and almost 60 percent added to their staff in the last 12 months.
“I could probably list off five different client companies or associates looking for people,” said Mohler.
Looking at historical data from the “Power Poll” indicates that this issue grew in the midst of the pandemic. In 2019, the number of companies looking to hire was 64 percent and grew to 72 percent this year. However, workforce development and finding qualified employees has been a consistent challenge for executives. A whopping 98 percent said workforce development is a critical issue for the state; in 2019 it was 97 percent.
“Workforce training is very important,” said Jennifer Braster, owner of southern Nevada law firm Naylor and Braster. “[I’m from] the east coast where there generally appears to be a higher emphasis on post-high school education. There are challenges here because, in the past, [individuals] have been able to make fairly [good] salaries without having any post-high school education.” Braster went on to add that retraining qualified candidates should have more emphasis in the state.
When it comes to the state’s efforts in workforce development, Mohler acknowledges that work is being done but more is needed. “It’s talked about a lot,” he said. “If everything gets implemented and done, we’ll be able to see [improvements]. But I don’t think it’s there yet. It’s a work in progress.”
“Everyone is aware the state has diversified into other industries and cannot just completely be dependent on mining and gaming,” said Rieger. “A lot of people are moving to Nevada because they want to live here, they think it’s an attractive place. But we have to create the infrastructure so they can grow their families, educate their kids and build this society – which is based on knowledge and education.”