‘The biggest deal’: Job fair could help thousands

With federal unemployment benefits set to expire and Las Vegas’ jobless rate high, Clark County officials view a job fair Friday as a potentially sweeping lifeline.

“This is as meaningful an event as has ever been held in the (Las Vegas) Convention Center, ever,” Commissioner Jim Gibson told the media Tuesday. “This is an opportunity to get Las Vegas back to work.”

The Summer Job Fair — the first in-person and large-scale job fair since the pandemic started — will feature 100-plus employers seeking to fill more than 12,000 good-paying jobs, according to the county.

“We don’t want minimum wage jobs,” Commissioner Tick Segerblom said, during a news conference from the center’s new West Hall expansion where the fair will be held.

Companies such as Amazon, Tesla, Walmart and several gaming properties, among other employers, will be represented during the fair, which will run 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The list goes on and on,” Gibson said. “Virtually every industry that has employees in our valley is going to be participating in this job fair.”

More than 2,500 people have already provided an RSVP to the event, according to Segerblom. Registration is encouraged but not necessary.

The event, which Gibson said officials worked hard to ensure would be the “biggest and the best and the most successful” job fair ever held in Southern Nevada, comes at a time when a federal safety net is about to end.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which has provided an extra $300 weekly to recipients, will expire Sept. 4 in Nevada.

Meanwhile, an estimated 8.9 percent of the Las Vegas area’s workforce was unemployed in May, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the second-highest rate among 51 metro areas with at least 1 million people.

Even so, casinos have been increasingly hiring as the economy comes back and restaurants have reported trouble finding workers to meet renewed demand.

Gibson said the fair was an opportunity to bring together companies and prospective employees who for whatever reason have not been able to connect.

Employment professionals will be offering free, quick resume checks at the fair and job-seekers will be allowed to use laptops and printers provided at no cost, officials said. Parking will also be free in the lot off Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Participants should enter the fair through the West Hall North Lobby and may register at http://nvcareercenter.org/2021-Summer-Job-Fair.

The Southern Nevada Health District will also offer free COVID-19 vaccinations on site.

Gibson, Segerblom and commission Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick are hosting the fair.

“This is the biggest deal we’ve ever been a part of,” Gibson said.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.