Giant Sucking Sound…

Posted on December 29, 2006
Filed Under Local Level Recruiting, Construction, War for Talent |

The Construction Zone just published a great article on the upcoming “War for Talent” in the construction industry. It is a must read for anyone gearing up for $24 Billion in development on Las Vegas Boulevard alone.

Take the time to read this.

It brings back memories of the 2003/2005 Nevada legislative sessions when lawmakers were talking about the “Sucking Sound” that could be heard in Nevada when California passed state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. The sucking sound of that was all of Nevada’s nurses leaving for the high ground in California.

The exact opposite happened. Nevada reaped the benefits of nurses leaving California and moving East. In a short five year period, Nevada’s nurse-to-population ratio increased 5% from 520 per 100,000 to 548 per 100,000 in population. That allowed Nevada to surpass California, no longer being the worst in the United States.

It is a great start considering we opened six new hospitals and had 20 hospitals expand during that time period. Of course, we take much of the credit with the efforts of our www.NVNurses.com website. This initiative was supported by the Nevada Hospital Association, Nevada Health Care Association and the Nevada Nurses Association.

Well, this situation is a little bit different. The “Sucking Sound” is not that of the construction workforce leaving Nevada. It is from MGM Mirage Development absorbing all the skilled construction labor in the valley to complete the development of Project City Centre.

I am confident that our efforts with NVConstructionJobs will replicate the successes we have experienced with the nurse shortage. The rest of the country will hear the “sucking sound” of construction professionals leaving their states to move to Nevada.