Sunday, August 17, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JOB MARKET: Hardly the right stuff

Businesses say they're struggling to find the skilled workers they need to fill jobs

Mike DePaci works on a Mercedes at Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz. Though Nevada is showing job growth during the economy's "jobless recovery," employers in the valley say they're struggling to find qualified workers, such as mechanics, for job openings. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

People across the country tend to see a pot at the end of the rainbow in Las Vegas, a golden opportunity to strike it rich in a city that built its image on rewarding risk-takers.

Down-and-out workers pull up stakes in their hometowns as the nation's jobless rate hovers around 6.2 percent, migrating here based on reports of available jobs and low cost of living.

They come with visions of owning a house on a golf course. Some end up camping at the Rescue Mission.

The reason: lack of job skills.

Although Nevada is one of the few states showing job growth during the economy's "jobless recovery," employers here say they're having a hard time finding qualified workers.

"It's very difficult," said Brad Tyler, who supervises 39 mechanics as service manager for Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz. "It's lack of training, lack of interest. Everyone wants to make big bucks from the get-go. People don't have the initiative and the incentive."

Anyone who really wants to work can usually find a job in Las Vegas, labor experts agree. But without a skill or profession, job seekers often must settle for low-paying casino work and service jobs.

Mike Beardslee, president of IT Strategies, a computer consulting firm in Las Vegas since 1996, said he usually has to go outside the local work force to fill technology jobs.

"I don't know the percentages, but out of four jobs, we might find one local (applicant)," he said. "I have a full-time recruiter and I can tell you she spends much more time searching nationally than locally."

Technology companies are primarily looking for middle-level positions such as senior programmers and analysts, he said.

"We have had some success pulling people out of California and Arizona, which is better than Chicago," Beardslee said. "It's much cheaper. It's easier to get them here, to fly them in for an interview."

Finding a project manager is not so tough, he said, perhaps because older, semiretired people with experience have moved here and don't mind going back to work.

One area of expertise that's rising in demand is electronics technicians, said Warren Hioke, associate dean of engineering technology at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Technicians trained at the college are picking up entry-level jobs in computer networks, telecommunications and fiber-optics making $10 an hour minimum, up to $25 and $30 an hour, Hioke said.

"We're more service and support instead of high-tech production and manufacturing," he said. "What business does not have a network that needs to be maintained and upgraded?"

Michael Francis, owner of Johnson's Quality Automotive Center at 1845 N. Rancho Drive, said there aren't many qualified mechanics out there, and as an independent shop owner, he doesn't have time to "baby-sit" them.

"I'll pay for his training to go to classes," Francis said. "But when he comes here, he better know what he's doing."

He can usually tell how good a mechanic is by looking at his toolbox, not his resume. "You can see who they worked for and see what they write down on an application, but that doesn't tell you much. Basically you let them do the work and watch what they do."

Cars are backed up waiting for repairs at C&F Automotive, 2439 N. Decatur Blvd.

Shirley Papelino, the owner's wife who works the office, said they could use some extra hands, but they had "bad experiences" with mechanics they've hired in the past.

"This is a funny city," she said. "People don't stay very long. It seems like there's no work ethic. They don't show up on time, they don't call. It's a lot of aggravation."

She said the business is there, but sometimes she has to turn it away or tell people they'll have to wait. "We try to get to it if it's an emergency," Papelino said.

Kelly Karch, manager of the Nevada JobConnect center at 3405 S. Maryland Parkway, said he's had several programmers from the high-tech Silicon Valley area in California talk to him about finding a job here.

They're disappointed to learn that there aren't any jobs like they had in California, and what jobs are available don't pay them nearly what they were making in California.

"You may have to settle for something less until it becomes available," Karch said. "You have to work hard to get a job, and they're not going to get a job like they had back East. We don't have a lot of machinists and manufacturing. There's not a lot of that out here. I tell them to look elsewhere."

Through its federally funded Career Enhancement Program, the JobConnect employment agency can pay for work boots, work cards, tools, supplies and other necessities to get someone a job, but the burden is upon the individual to find a job, Karch said.

"They have to stay steadfast in that job search if they want to get a job in this town," he said.

Beardslee of IT Strategies said: "But it's just always been tough here. We've been successful in convincing people to move here and we've always had to do that. It might be a touch better today with unemployment up."

Las Vegas is a fast-growing metropolitan area and with that comes an influx of people, many from California, with a significant set of job skills, said Bob Cooper, economic development manager for the city of Henderson.

"And we need to promote that to companies here," Cooper said. "We hear from people who call us after they moved to Henderson and thought they could walk right into a job. They ask us, `What are the new companies coming in?' Unfortunately, we're not a high-tech center, at least not at this time. To go out and find a (tech) job, it's probably not there. Jobs aren't as high-paying, but the cost of living isn't what it is in San Francisco."

Dawn Hathaway, vice president of Manpower Inc. of Southern Nevada, said the most difficult job to fill is "any position that a customer requires a highly skilled person but does not want to compensate for the skill."

In particular, she said skilled laborers such as electricians, concrete finishers and carpenters, loan processors and bilingual customer service representatives are often the most challenging for her company.

The most successful areas are production, general office and secretarial, light industrial and warehouse and casual labor.