113,500 New Casino Jobs

Posted on February 22, 2007
Filed Under Online Recruiting, Community Partnerships, Out of Market Recruiting, Trailing Spouse Program, Gaming |

Las Vegas is booming. We all know that. What we are coining as the “fourth boom,” will create over 113,500 new casino jobs according to a recent article in the Las Vegas Review Journal. Read it here. That is a lot of jobs.

It was the first boom in 1993 that put Recruiting Nevada on the map. Actually, back then we did business as the Las Vegas Employment Guide. We began publishing the first employment specific newspaper in Nevada (it was later sold to Cox and Landmark Communications and has totally changed its’ focus). When the MGM Grand, Treasure Island and Luxor all opened within a few months of each other, a total of 20,000 jobs were added. The Employment Guide was in the middle of that surge.

Just about very bit of talent was absorbed from this boom. We executed a very strong college recruiting campaign, not to reach the graduating students, but rather to reach the attritioning students. Typically this number is much greater…around 60%. And perfect demographics for the casinos; young, energetic, motivated and wanting to make money. We achieved a high level of success with this initiative. A similar effort is already in the planning stage.

In preparation of the next boom, we recently began meeting with HR executives within the gaming industry. Much has changed since 1993 including:

Most of the strip is now owned by 3 gaming companies
Gaming jobs are not the only job titles needed
Non-gaming jobs now outweigh gaming jobs
Most jobs are actually back-of-the house
The Internet has come about as the leading recruitment medium
Most casinos now use sophisticated applicant tracking systems
Housing costs have more than tripled

All are very unique and substantial challenges.

In the RJ article there is a lot of talk about how 110,00 applications were taken in at the Wynn and 100,000 applications at Red Rock Station. What was not really addressed was the fact that the majority of these applicants are already working in other casinos. The labor pool is not growing, it is just moving. Casinos are cannibalizing each other’s talent. Some from within their own organizations.

Each time a new casino opens it is a new round of “musical chairs.” Candidates from older “A” properties move to the new “A” property. Those from “B” properties move to the older “A” casinos. And the “C” property employees move to the “B” properties. The “C” properties are left working with “D” candidates and eventually get acquired by one of the big three, only to implode the casino and build a new “A” resort.

Sounds like another supply-demand problem similar to that which we face with teachers, nurses, engineers and just about every profession in town nowadays. Fortunately, Recruiting Nevada is prepared for this next boom and will be able to assist the gaming industry with their dilemma.

If you look at the websites of Recruiting Nevada today, they do not encompass gaming. That was by design. We wanted to address and support non-gaming first in anticipation of this next boom. We wanted to make sure that we could attract nurses and teachers to allow Las Vegas to continue its’ growth pattern.

Now, it appears the gaming jobs may assist us in our attraction of these needed professionals because the “trailing spouses” of nurses and teachers are highly interested in the gaming industry.

And if we now post all of the gaming jobs, our network of employment websites is representative of the entire marketplace. And everyone wins.