One company is doing its part to help those looking for a job in Las Vegas.

Manpower, the largest temp agency in Las Vegas, has launched a new workforce readiness training program to help people improve their job-seeking skills. The program, which lasts 11 days, was launched in conjunction with the opening of the company’s new north Las Vegas branch.

Manpower placed 8,000 people in jobs during 2007, almost twice as many as Millennium Staffing Services, the second-largest temp agency. Manpower assists workers with purely temp work, temporary-to-permanent job placement and direct hiring, according to an article by the Las Vegas Sun.

The new office houses two rooms for the new worker development training program, which includes training on how to search for a job and how to get a job and keep it. Basic computer training, such as Excel and Word, as well as classes on workplace emotional intelligence, personal accountability and the importance of good social skills also are offered.

“Our vision for this room is workforce training,” Dan Ward, of Manpower’s training and development division, said in the article. “Our goal is to get those folks in here, (and) put them through some sort of workforce readiness (training).”

Manpower also recently released its second-quarter employment outlook, which is based on a survey of 31,800 employers throughout the country and how they anticipate the total employment at their job sites will change from April 1 to June 30 when compared to the current quarter.

Of those surveyed, 15 percent expect to hire, 14 percent expect to cut staff, 67 percent don’t expect any staff-level changes and 4 percent are undecided. Employers in western states expect moderate decreases in staff, while employers in the Midwest, South and Northeast expect extreme decreases.

In Las Vegas, 14 percent of employers plan to hire, compared to 19 percent in the first quarter, while 12 percent plan to cut jobs, the same as during the first quarter. At the same time, 65 percent of employers expect no hiring change and 9 percent are unsure of what will happen.

When it comes to various industries in the west, the hospitality and leisure industry should see a 14 percent increase in hiring, while the construction, government and information industries are each expecting a 7 percent decrease.

The future of several Las Vegas teaching jobs is in question.

A recent article by USA Today revealed that Clark County, Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, may have to eliminate as many as 1,000 teaching jobs. The article identified the district as one of seven across the nation most vulnerable to budget cuts. The areas, which are suffering from higher-than-normal amounts of home foreclosures, use local property tax revenue as a large budget source.

More than half of the school districts throughout the country use property taxes to support more than 25 percent of their budgets. School also are suffering as many students are forced to move so their parents can find jobs, while many schools are funded based on average daily enrollment.

Clark County’s 2008-2009 budget came in at $2.1 billion, with 31 percent coming from local property taxes. With 311,240 students, Clark County is one of the fastest-growing school districts in the country. The district’s schools will most likely have to cut jobs through attrition and leaving vacancies unfilled.

The Las Vegas-Paradise area’s education and health services industry employed 67,100 workers during January, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 67,400 workers during December 2008 but a 3.9 percent increase from last year.

As a whole, Nevada’s education and health services industry employed 96,800 workers during January, up from 96,100 workers during December 2008 and a 3.1 percent increase from last year.

Las Vegas construction jobs are seeing the biggest decrease when it comes to over-the-year job losses.

In January alone, about 60,000 Nevada jobs were cut. The biggest state losses came from the construction industry, which lost 20,100 jobs, followed by 19,000 jobs lost in hospitality and 10,800 lost in professional and business services. This put the unemployment rate in Nevada at 9.4 percent, up from 8.4 percent during December 2008.

During December, the Las Vegas-Paradise area’s unemployment increased from 7.9 percent to 9.1 percent. The city’s construction industry employed 82,600 workers during January, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 86,500 workers during December 2008 and a 13.1 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries in Las Vegas that saw an over-the-year decrease in jobs include:

• manufacturing by 6.2 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 3.2 percent
• information by 5.5 percent
• financial activities by 5 percent
• professional and business services by 6.3 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 4.9 percent
• other services by 1.9 percent

The mining and logging industry employed 400 workers during January, the same as during December and this time last year.

The only industries to see an over-the-year increase in jobs during January include education and health services by 3.9 percent and government by 2.3 percent.

Nevada as a whole had a total non-farm employment of 1,223,600 workers during January, down from 1,235,600 workers during December and a 5.1 percent decrease from last year.

Funds from President Barack Obama’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help create new Las Vegas jobs.

The White House has begun releasing funds from the Act that was passed last month. Las Vegas will receive $2.1 million for homeless prevention and $1.37 million in Community Development Block Grants, which will help provide housing and employment opportunities to low income residents.

North Las Vegas will receive $677,704 for homeless prevention; $469,798 for housing and $443,222 in Community Development Block Grants, according to an article by the Las Vegas Sun.

“This critical funding will invest in our communities while creating much-needed jobs as we work to turn our economy around,” Rep. Dina Titus said in the article.
Surrounding areas in Nevada also will begin receiving funds shortly. Clark County’s Housing Authority will receive $1.7 million to help modernize and develop public housing. Henderson will get $304,711 in Community Development Block Grants.

The funds and added jobs should help Las Vegas’ economy, which has suffered along with much of the rest of the nation because of the current economic recession. The Las Vegas-Paradise area’s unemployment rate increased from 7.9 percent to 9.1 percent during December 2008.

During December, the area had a total non-farm employment of 917,400 workers, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 922,000 workers during November 2008 and a 1.7 percent decrease from last year.

Nevada as a whole had an unemployment rate of 8.4 percent during December, up from 8 percent during November. The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,261,100 workers during December, down from 1,269,300 workers during November and a 2.5 percent decrease from last year.