At JobConnect, seeking a better future is a common goal

The people who cross the threshold into the JobConnect Center on South Maryland Parkway come from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

But despite their many differences, they have one goal in common: to seek a better future.

“I’m a single mom,” said Lilibeth Vicha of Las Vegas. “I’m looking for a part-time job and to go to school part-time. I want to do more to provide more for her and for me.”

Vicha, 34, moved to Las Vegas from Alaska two years ago after hearing of potential job opportunities in the city.

She began work as a housekeeper at a hotel on the Strip, and then, leaning on past experience, picked up a position as a security guard.

She was recently hired to work at a fast-food establishment, but Thursday, she was one of the many job seekers utilizing the JobConnect Center’s computers looking for work.

“The more I look, the more options I have,” she said.

According to Bloomberg, jobless claims last week hovered around four-decade lows, showing the labor market remains the strongest part of the U.S. economy.

Initial applications for unemployment benefits climbed by 9,000 to 257,000 in the week ended April 23, a report from the Labor Department showed Thursday in Washington. The prior week’s revised 248,000 claims were the fewest since 1973.

Zahra Modjarrad, resource center assistant for the JobConnect Center, said the center wasn’t as busy as usual on Thursday, but said that was “very, very unusual.”

“We are packed all the time,” she said. “They’re really looking to find a job.”

Shaun Lertswan, 40, of Las Vegas is one of the job seekers Modjarrad is referring to.

Lertswan has been a regular at the center in the past month and a half after being laid off from his job as a machine operator at Anderson Dairy.

“It was a good job,” Lertswan said. “The problem with that is, they’re a union job, so when things get slow, they cut from the bottom. Unfortunately, I was the lowest man on the totem pole.”

He’s hoping business picks back up in the summer, but he’s not waiting around.

“I’m not the type of person who stays home and collects unemployment,” he said. “I’d rather work. I always keep myself going.”

Lertswan said he’s flexible with regard to the work he’s currently looking for. But his ultimate goal is to become a surgical technician. He begins school in August.

“All this can be depressing,” Lertswan said. “Not having a job can take a lot out of you — worrying about bills, where you’re going to live and where you’re next meal is coming from. You just got to stay positive, whatever you do.”

Providing unemployed Nevadans with phone and computer access to file unemployment insurance claims and to access employment resources is one of the many services of Nevada JobConnect offices.

In addition, the offices provide individuals with other services, including: resume and cover letter assistance; interviewing skills and employment-related workshops; a business directory of local employers; and labor market information.

Paul Augaitis, a transplant to Las Vegas from Atlantic City, where he worked at a casino for 14 years, has been taking advantage of the services at the center ever since moving here three months ago.

“This is where the work is,” he said. “Atlantic City is dying.”

Augaitis is finding comfort in the city’s booming service industry, and has been working as a on-call bartender since arriving in Las Vegas. So far he’s found that the pay is better and there are more opportunities.

“I get hits on my Indeed application — sometimes 25, 26 a day,” he said. “In Atlantic City, there were only one or two, and 2,000 bartenders apply for the same job.”

While he’s seen some work, he’s looking for something more steady, which is why he turned to JobConnect.

“I don’t have a computer at home. All I have is my phone,” he said. “The people are great. They help you a lot.”

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Find her on Twitter:@NatalieBruzda