As the pandemic recedes and life and business return to normal, casinos in Nevada are still finding it hard to fully staff their operations. Shani Coleman, director of community and economic development for Clark County, told the Las Vegas Sun that more than 40,000 positions have gone unfilled since casinos reopened in 2020.
Since January, resort companies including Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, the Palms, the Strat and Treasure Island have held job fairs, seeking new workers. In February, during a one-day job fair in Las Vegas, Caesars had a goal of hiring 500 people on the spot, a company spokeswoman said.
“We need to provide more skilled workforce,” said Ana Puljic, executive director of student services at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. “It’s a talent war right now. It’s been a challenge getting enough people who want these types of jobs.”
Puljic cited “a combination of reasons” for the limited employee pool. “This is a job-seekers market. Students graduating from the Culinary Academy are going for good-paying jobs. These are Culinary Workers Union and Bartenders Union (Local 165) jobs with a benefits package, pension and paid lunch.”
Even for housekeeping positions, resort companies are paying at least $20 per hour now, along with sign-on and stay-on bonuses, Puljic said.
“I’ve been doing this for the past 24 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Puljic said.
Governor Steve Sisolak acknowledged the employment gap on the Strip. “In the culinary field, we have a problem in that we still have some unemployed people,” Sisolak said. “We’re trying to match employees into job openings. We need to get more people trained and into the hotels. At some hotels, they’ve changed policy and gone to cleaning rooms every second or third day, which is something different.”
Remote work has become more popular since the pandemic started, but most casino resort service jobs are onsite.
“Businesses are learning that they have to accommodate workers, which we’ve seen with remote work,” Sisolak said. “Looking back a couple of years, we were talking about raising the minimum wage by 75 cents and that’s been blown out of the ballpark now. Now I’m seeing (offers of) $16 or $18 per hour to work at a fast-food restaurant. Businesses are learning by the law of supply and demand that they have to come up with better wages, conditions and amenities.”
