How's a job earning $20 an hour sound? Too good to be true? What if we told you, you could earn $30 and even $40? And all you need is a high school diploma. Believe it or not, as Contact 13 learned, those jobs are out there and hiring right now.
A quick trip to the unemployment office and you'll find, there's a long list of opportunities.
"I have found quite a few. So I'm very happy about that," says job seeker, Vicki Shelton.
Job seekers we spoke with say, they're confident they'll find something.
"I feel good about it. I've got a pretty strong background. Pretty stable work history," says job seeker, Bill Bentley.
Whether your unemployed or just want something better, now's the time to look. Jeff Parker is vice president of Manpower Las Vegas. He's been with the career resources and staffing agency for 20 years.
"I have not seen it like this before... It's really an employee's market. We're seeing more and more wage pressure. So actually seeing wages go up," says Parker.
And best of all, most employers are looking to fill what are called Middle Skill Jobs. Those are positions requiring a high school diploma or equivalent.
"So if somebody doesn't have a degree necessarily, it doesn't keep them out of the job market at all," says Parker.
At the top of the list for highest-paying middle skill jobs: Gaming Managers, offering nearly $47 an hour. First-Line Supervisors, which oversee mechanics and other repair positions, paying more than $33. And Sales Reps positions, offering $31 an hour.
We found a wide-range of career opportunities. But the biggest demand is in three specific fields.
"Manufacturing, technology, and healthcare particularly, those three industries are growing rapidly," says Manny Lamarre with the Governor's Office of Workforce Innovation.
Lamarre says while many available positions don't require a four-year college education, you may need special training or a certificate. But you can often get it for free. In fact, Nevada actually received grant money from the Department of Labor, to expand on-the-job apprenticeship programs with employers throughout the state.
"Nevada is one of the best business friendly environments. That's why we have a sense of urgency to make sure we have a workforce for it because companies want to move to Nevada," says Lamarre.
Companies like Trigg Laboratories. They just moved to Las Vegas, opening a 70,000 square foot facility on West Windmill, near Decatur, where they produce and package personal lubricants under the name "Wet." The company says they're hiring staff over the next 18 months.
"The goal is to ultimately hire 100 people. The key criteria that we look for are quality manufacturing backgrounds," says Sean Smith, President of Trigg Laboratories.
And Smith says long-term goals include even more growth.
"The production lines, they were laid out with the purpose that, we're going to continue to expand. Once we get to that point we'll add a shift, which will add at least another 60 to 70% in personnel," says Smith.
Trigg Laboratories is just one opportunity, among dozens of small businesses hiring in the valley. Plus there's big name employers like Amazon, now hiring to fill 500 full-time positions for it's new North Las Vegas center, opening this summer.
"It's just finding the right fit with the right employer," says Vicki.
