Rayen Jones, a general manager for Aarrow Sign Spinners, drew attention to his booth at the governor’s ‘JobFest’ the same way he would for a client — spinning and tossing a 6-foot-long sign.

Arrow Sign Spinners was one of the 182 employers at the event earlier this week in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Roughly 2,100 people attended to check out the 16,700 job openings and available community resources, and 251 attendees were hired on the spot, according to initial reports from employers.

“We're always hiring. It's so hard to find people that actually [want to do it],” Jones said. “You got to be the center of attention. You got to be out there and point to drivers, draw attention to yourself, and you got to be happy about it. I love the feeling.”

The massive job fair comes at an unusual time in the Nevada economy, when consumer demand is up but some employers lament a worker shortage, even as the unemployment rate remains tied with California for worst in the nation, at 7.3 percent in October. 

Some workers have chosen to step out of work and a job search altogether since the pandemic began. Nevada’s labor force participation rate — which measures the number of employed people and those looking for a job against the civilian population — dropped from 65 percent in February 2020 to 61 percent in October.

Jones has been with the company for 15 years. He said although he was able to keep in contact with all his clients when businesses were shutting down last spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the pandemic was a major disruption — the company cut its team of spinners in half. 

“It was a little bit of a hit, but I got all my original people back, which was a blessing in itself,” Jones said. “Being outside and separated saved our butts. It was a good selling point.”

Though Nevada’s unemployment rate has fallen sharply from the 28 percent rate seen during the thick of the pandemic last spring, not all state industries have recovered at the same rate. According to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), employment within Nevada’s casino and hotel industry is still at two-thirds of its pre-pandemic peak, even as employment has returned in industries such as mining, transportation and retail trade. 

“Today is a testament that we as a state are rebuilding and coming back stronger than ever — We have opportunities for Nevadans,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said at the event. “We have an amazing opportunity here today to not only connect Nevadans directly to jobs, but it was also a priority for me to have services here so we can connect Nevadans to retraining programs so they can learn new skills and find a new, good-paying career.”  

Employers at the event could conduct interviews and offer employment on-site. Krista Gonzalez, 27, was hired on the spot by Club Wyndham, a timeshare company, for a sales and marketing position. 

“I was just walking by and I saw beautiful balloons and a whiteboard that said ‘sales and marketing.’ I was like, ‘This is my chance,’” Gonzalez said. “So I just walked up and introduced myself, we were talking and I said I was looking for a sales and marketing position and they were like ‘Perfect!’”

Gonzalez, who is switching career paths from medical sales to hospitality, was interviewed by Club Wyndham’s Sales and Marketing Director Taylor Clark, who said they were looking to hire five people for the marketing team at the event. Gonzalez was the first. 

“We’re looking for just a great attitude, super positive, with a great mentality, which I think is the biggest thing to get you in any role anywhere, right?” Clark said. 

Sisters-in-law Ana Lopez and Susan Parrilla attended the event in search of long-term and stable job opportunities. Over the past year, they have jumped between temporary jobs and with the rising cost of living, they wanted to find something that pays better.

“When we looked into other jobs like front desk, we wouldn't have enough experience because [all we have is] warehouse experience,” Lopez said. “So this [event] is really a big opportunity, I see a lot of employers saying you don't need experience and offering $17-$18 [an hour]. They're offering really good wages for no experience.” 

A couple hours into the JobFest, the sisters-in-law had already scheduled four future interviews each. 

Kemper Insurance recruiters were looking to fill “hundreds” of positions for the company’s new Henderson office that opened six months ago, ranging from customer service, management and sales to claims. According to claims manager Alex Franco, pay starts at $25 an hour — no experience required.

“We haven't really had challenges [hiring]. It's just that it's a new office. So we're just trying to get our name out there and let people know we're here,” she said. 

Offering on-the-job training is one way to address an issue experts have identified — that job openings do not necessarily match up with the type of labor available and job seekers’ experiences. Many job seekers are also looking for a change in careers through “re-skilling” or retraining. 

“We've got to keep our options open to us. And it's not like it used to be when my father worked — he worked for the same company, General Motors, for 40 years,” Sisolak told the Nevada Independent. “People in your generation, the millennials, they'll have two, three, five careers over the course of their lifetimes. And that's a good thing. You're learning more. Their eyes are opened up to what's available.”