The Las Vegas job market continue to be challenging for those out of work.  The State of Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) released reports on December 2008 unemployment levels on Monday this week.  Nevada’s unemployment level jumped to 9.1% unemployment.  This is the highest it has been in over 25 years.

To shed more light on the matter…. if you take into consideration the 5,200 jobs that Wynn Encore added in December, the situation looks even more bleak.  If you remove that job creation, Nevada would be over 10%.  So…… it is pretty bad folks.

However, there is some hope on the horizon.  It appears President Obama’s stimulus package will improve the employment outlook in Nevada.  Nearly $1 trillion will be pushed out to the states to stimulate the economy.  A large portion of that is dedicated to job creation.  The areas where you will see growth will be in Public Works project such as roadways, bridges, telecommunication infrastructure, health care and education. 

Nevada supposedly has some 300+ ’shovel ready’ projects that will be presented for funding.  These projects will create many new jobs in Nevada.  The money will flow from the feds to the states and then down to the counties and agencies performing the work.  I anticipate the majority of the initial work will be outsourced so there will be a substantial amount of job creation in the private sectors as well as the public.�

If you have an interest in podcasting that goes beyond the Living in Las Vegas Podcast, I’ve got some exciting news:

This THURSDAY (1/29/09) at 9:00AM PST, I will be testing our new multi-camera, multi-input live video streaming capabilities by offering 45 minutes of interactive podcast questions and answers to any participant joining us during this live session.  This will be a first-in, first-served arrangement where I’ll do my best to answer as many of your podcasting questions as possible during our time together.  I think it’ll be pretty cool.

Here’s the scoop:

Date: January 29, 2009
Time: 9:00AM PST
URL: http://www.podworx.com/LivePodcastAnswers

See you on Thursday!

As a local, I’m always playing Tour Guide and going to shows; I’ve seen Mamma Mia ten times! But, the one show I really enjoy and don’t mind seeing over and over again is Carrot Top. While parts of his show stay the same, the majority of it is new, different and incorporates current events, making it the perfect show for Locals.

Now through March 1, Carrot Top is offering Locals 25% off tickets. Call 702-262-4400 or visit a Luxor Box Office with your Nevada ID.

[Disclaimer: I work for Luxor]

I have to admit that I’ve never seen Phantom at The Venetian, but I’ve only ever heard rave reviews. So, when I learned about $50 off tickets, I had to share! Now through March 31, receive $50 off the $120 and $150 ticket categories with your local I.D. Call 702-414-9000 to reserve tickets.

Just wrapped up a fun meeting with Dave Courvoisier, one of the anchors for the local CBS affiliate here in Las Vegas.

I met Dave through my Twitter wandering and was immediately impressed with how nice and down-to-earth he is.  Besides anchoring the news (for which he has won an Emmy), Dave also runs a voice-over business that is growing quite nicely.  A visit to his website will demonstrate what a talented VO artist he is.  (I’ve always been impressed with folks who can deliver audio voice overs with a variety of styles.  On his website home page, there are four impressive examples.)

If you’d like to learn more about what Dave does, follow him on Twitter.

A new neighborhood in Summerlin Centre has a feature that is sure to make it stand out among the rest - solar panel roofs. Pulte Home’s Villa Trieste subdivision just opened in central Summerlin near Charleston Boulevard and Interstate 215. In addition to energy efficient features that have become common place in new Las Vegas homes, including Energy Star appliances and low energy windows, Villa Trieste homes include rooftop solar arrays that are sure to reduce reliance on traditional energy sources.

Although now is a difficult time for a new home community to open (Pulte had actually built a number of 3-story model homes on this site and tore them down after deciding they weren’t going to work in the current market), Pulte is offering four unique floor plans ranging from 1,487 to 1,960 square feet at starting prices from $227,990 to $266,900. This makes Villa Trieste competitive against existing homes in the Summerlin area, offering affordable starter homes in a desirable location that is convenient to shopping, recreation, and the highway.

I took a look at the model homes, and they are not your typical cookie cutter floorplans. Each model seems to appeal to different buyers, from families who need up to 4 bedrooms to individuals who need a home office and a large space for entertaining. The bedrooms in one of the models is dedicated to an interactive display showing the green technology at work. Villa Trieste includes generous standard features, such as granite countertops and 12-inch tile flooring, and also has some unique features, such as a tankless water heater and his-and-hers master bedroom closets, and some options typically seen in more expensive homes, like walk-in showers. Each home even features a touch-screen dashboard that allows homeowners to compare their energy consumption against that of their neighbors.

If Villa Trieste succeeds in its goal of reducing energy output and costs, I think it could become the standard for future Las Vegas valley homes.

I’ve seen almost all the topless shows in Vegas and FANTASY is great if you’re looking for some light hearted fun. The singer, Stephanie, is fantastic at pumping up and engaging the crowd. Plus, can you really pass up the possibility of getting to go on stage and be Elvis?

The hottest Adult Revue for couples is offering 2-for-1 Fantasy tickets now through February 28.

Call 702-262-4400 or visit the Luxor Box Office with your Nevada I.D. to reserve tickets.

[Disclaimer: I work for Luxor]

64: Dining at Wynn Encore, New Year’s Eve with 20-Somethings and Live Video

Because we enjoy having guests at the Whitney Villa, one of the great things about Living in Las Vegas is hosting/entertaining visitors when they come to town.  For today’s Living in Las Vegas Podcast, we first take our kids (who are visiting from California) to Wynn Encore for $ome fancy dining. Then, we review our New Year’s Eve party which brought in nine additional 20-somethings to the house and taught me a bit about bouncing back after puking, that some kids can drink faster than I ever could, and that if you play your cards right, you can get a secret XBOX 360 code for unlimited songs in Rock Star.  Show notes: (Now where did I put my NutriTorture snack bar. . .oh, and there is some swearing in this episode)

• PHOTOS!
• Weather (getting better) / LiLV Pool (frozen death pond)
• LiLV Stuff
• Listener Line: 206.312.0105
• Sign up for Email Alerts (form all over the website)
• Adding new Friends is fun!
• Let’s Talk Twitter (the sign of the devil is upon us)
• CES 2009
• Session
• Show floor
• Famous Guy
• Adult Video Expo
• Blogger Meetup
• Another Famous Guy
• Ego bloggers
• The Scoble Affect
• WordCamp Las Vegas
• Good and bad
• Contributors!
• Check out Brandie, Doug, Cheryl and Mary Ann’s bios
• The culinary torture that is Nutrisystem
• Listener Email: Las Vegas Friendliness
• Dining at Wynn Encore: Botero Steak
• New Year’s Eve with eleven 20-somethings, streaming video, and chatroom influencers

The largest private job creation in the history of the United States is happening right here in Las Vegas. CityCenter, owned by MGM Mirage, will be opening in December 2009 with over 12,000 new Las Vegas jobs.

CityCenter will be making its first live appearance at the Opportunity Boulevard Career Fair today (January 8th) at Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino. You can get VIP access and register for the event at www.OpportunityBoulevard.com.

Be sure to be dressed to impress and have plenty of resumes!  The event will go from 12:30 (12 if you pre-register) to 4:00 p.m.

Wow, what a great privilege it is to be a contributing writer for the Living in Las Vegas Podcast & Blog.  I have admired Scott’s work on this website for a few years now and am humbled by the fact that he would ask me to be a contributing writer. 

Scott has asked me to write about jobs in Las Vegas.  Employment in Las Vegas is an area that is near and dear to my heart.  I have been intimately involved in the jobs market in Las Vegas for over 15 years, dating back to when I was a jobseeker in 1993.  As with most, I moved to Las Vegas, the land of opportunity, for what I thought would be a temporary lay-over to make some money until I figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Fifteen years later (I guess I have not grown up), you cannot drag me out of Las Vegas.  Las Vegas is now my home and I cannot imagine living anywhere else.  Las Vegas has been, and continues to be, very good to me.  And for the past 15 years, I have invested all of my time and energy, sharing the knowledge I have to assist other job seekers in realizing their dreams by moving to, and Living in Las Vegas.

I look forward to sharing the insider knowledge I have about the Las Vegas job market to help you.  If you have a particular topic you would like me to discuss, please feel free to email me at doug[at]livinginlv.com. 

Until my next post….Cheers and Happy Job Hunting.

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