According to a recent story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal hospitality sector has been hit hard by what is being called the “Great Resignation.” Also known as the “Big Quit” and “Great Reshuffle,” the terms are attributed to the large number of workers who voluntarily left their jobs in 2020 and 2021 during the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic. They often cited low wages and job dissatisfaction as reasons for leaving.
The casinos, which make up the majority of the hospitality sector in Las Vegas, are struggling to refill many positions. The jobs include casino, hotel, food, restaurant, nightlife and entertainment workers.
According to Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), there are four jobs for every three employees. This is despite the state being first in the country in jobs added each month at 5.1 percent in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The states in second place are Texas and Florida at 4.6 percent.
Nevada did recover all of the jobs lost during the pandemic by July 2022, but they are still approximately 3,600 positions short of the pre-pandemic peak in January 2020, according to DETR Chief Economist David Schmidt. He told the Review-Journal that hiring has slowed.
“When you look at the last six months or so, that pace has been slowing,” Schmidt said of the accommodation subsector. “That’s where we’re not necessarily adding a lot of new jobs. That’s settling into (what this) industry looks like, at least in the short-term, moving forward.”
Schmidt also said the industry is falling short in certain areas, such as front desk help and housekeeping.
Several resorts have cut back on housekeeping services, going every other day at some places on the Strip. Others have instituted a policy of vouchers if guests forgo housekeeping all together.
At Caesars, they have a program called “Code Green” where they will give guests a $10 food-and-beverage voucher for every night of their stay. The Westgate has a similar policy called “Going Green,” and offers an identical enticement. Downtown at the Golden Nugget, they offer $15 a day.
Another enticement resorts were providing included signing bonuses for certain positions where the need was most great.
It is that type of creativity that has helped the casinos mostly weather the hiring slump.
Vicki Gasca, assistant human resources director at TLC Enterprises, operators of Binion’s and Four Queens casinos in downtown Las Vegas, told the Review-Journal that her company goes to every job fair to try and recruit new employees.
“Our workforce retired, especially since the pandemic,” Gasca said. “They decided they weren’t going to deal with people anymore. So now we’re all going to have to replace them, not to mention all the new positions there are.”
Gasca added that it is a challenge to find employees despite offering better wages and benefits.
Amanda Belarmino, assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, told the newspaper that Vegas’ employment woes are indicative of that sector of the economy nationwide.
“The Great Resignation has been particularly hard on the hospitality sector due in part to lingering uncertainty from COVID regarding future closures for pandemics, employees who were forced to find other employment when hospitality businesses were closed or at reduced capacity, and Gen Z workers who have chosen to leave the workforce and live with their parents,” Belarmino told the Review-Journal.
