Several Vegas casinos holding job fairs in April, seen as sign of recovery

Several Las Vegas casinos are hosting large job fairs, which some economic analysts and resort owners say could be a sign of economic recovery in the gambling destination, amid high unemplyment rates in the state of Nevada.

Circa owner Derek Stevens said he is looking to fill hundreds of jobs at new downtown hot spot Circa Resort and Casino, and his two other properties the D and Golden Gate. "We're looking for security officers. We're looking for GRA's. And we're looking for housekeeping people," he said, as reported by KSNV.

On April 13 and 27, the company is hosting a drive-thru job fair in the parking lot of the Golden Gate. "We will be making offers right there," he said.

For its part, Caesars Entertainment had a virtual job fair on Thursday to fill 200 positions. 

Circus Circus Las Vegas is hosting a two-day hiring fair this month to fill more than 100 seasonal positions ahead of the summer. The north Strip casino-resort says jobs will be available at Adventuredome, The Midway and Splash Zone during the fair on April 16 and 17. Drug and background checks will be available on-site at the same time as the job offer, according to Circus Circus. Positions include games operator, ride attendant, lifeguard and pool attendant. Applicants hired will have to take a COVID-19 test before starting work.

The Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas is hosting a hiring fair next week for a wide variety of open positions. The job fair will take place on April 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Convention Level at the Carson Tower.

The Tuscany Suites & Casino announced it will be hosting a job fair on Thursday, April 29, with applications and interviews in-person on site. Officials say they are hiring for all departments and some people could even be hired on the spot.

Financial advisor Mike PeQueen says these job fairs are a good sign when we consider what unemployment looks like in Southern Nevada. "Our unemployment rate is running around 10 percent, Reno for example is about half of that five percent. And nationwide it's about six percent," said PeQueen, of Hightower Financial.

"So, it's very promising to see our biggest employers looking for employees," said PeQueen. "Yes, I believe that number will drop in the coming weeks, in months, as the economy reopens as people get back in the labor force."

Stevens says more visitors coming to Vegas, means more jobs at his casinos. "Weekends have been very busy," he said. "They've really gotten busier, really ever since Super Bowl. What's changing here uniquely is that it's good to see we have increased bookings on weekdays."

"Las Vegas is coming back," added Stevens. "And I think, throughout the whole Valley. It's kind of an exciting time. There's a lot of new jobs being created and we're trying to make it as easy as possible."

A recent Morgan Stanley report found that the Las Vegas gaming markets is running at a 95% occupancy on weekends and midweek occupancy has increased to 50-60% compared to 30% in February.