Las Vegas’ Skilled Workforce

Southern Nevada’s Expanding Labor Market

Southern Nevada’s economy is expanding, with both workforce and individual worker productivity on the rise. In the past decade, Las Vegas has gained more than 315,000 residents and 283,000 employees – with a total labor force of 1.2 million. The projected employment growth rate for the region is 18.8% over the next 20 years, with sectors like healthcare and tech expected to see significant expansion. The average contribution to GDP per worker is also growing, especially as more skilled industries take root in the region. Simply stated: Las Vegas has the skilled workers and workforce pipelines your company needs to deliver outstanding solutions to your stakeholders. In fact, depending on your hiring needs, Nevada offers reimbursement programs that will compensate you up to $10k for onboarding and training costs for each new local hire you make. If you’re a CEO looking to grow or scale your business, get to know the incredible workforce resources available to you here in Las Vegas.

1.1M Total Employment

7.9% YoY Job Growth

140k+ Employees with Graduate Degrees

274k+ Employees with Bachelor’s Degrees

$994.93 Average Weekly Wage

Discover Your Workforce

With a labor force of 1.2 million people, the Las Vegas Valley is ready to go to work. Hear from local business executives about their experience hiring and training talent in the region.

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Talent Pipeline Dashboard

A Workforce Analysis Tool Designed to Find Your Workforce

Powered by LVGEA’s City Check, the Talent Pipeline Dashboard is a workforce analysis tool designed to provide you with a comprehensive list of industry training programs available in Southern Nevada. Search for an occupation or industry, and you’ll gain access to a report featuring the currently available workforce, current program enrollees, and detailed information about the region’s training programs. Don’t see what you need? Reach out to us directly, and we’ll help you custom-build a workforce pipeline for your business.

Get Your Custom Workforce Analysis

Where To Find Your Workforce

Las Vegas is home to eight major higher education institutions offering hundreds of specialized degree and certificate programs to more than 71,000 students annually. Nevada leaders invest heavily in the state’s education system, recently approving $12 billion in additional funding for higher education programs in 2023.

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UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS (UNLV)

UNLV is a top-tier R1 research institution offering 200+ undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs to 30,000 students, and ranks as one of the nation’s most diverse universities. UNLV is home to the state’s only law and dental schools.

NEVADA STATE UNIVERSITY (NSU)

Nevada State is one of the nation’s fastest growing universities, offering 60 academic programs to its 7,000 students, a majority of whom are first-generation students, adult learners, students of color, or immigrants.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA (CSN)

CSN is the largest college in Nevada, with three main campuses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson serving nearly 30,000 full and part-time students. The college focuses on providing affordable education and workforce training.

UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

University of Phoenix is a private, for-profit institution that provides skills-based, career-relevant online education to 80,000+ working adult students nationally. UOPX offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs as well as certificate and professional development courses.

WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY, NEVADA

WGU Nevada is a partnership between the state of Nevada and nationally recognized Western Governors University to expand access to affordable higher education through online programs that address key workforce needs.

DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE (DRI)

Desert Research Institute is a world leader in environment research and serves as the non-profit research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education. With campuses in both Las Vegas and Reno, DRI employs 600 scientists, engineers, students and staff.

Regional Medical Schools Answer Call for Skilled Healthcare Professionals

As Las Vegas’ population continues to expand, so too does the need to educate and train the medical professionals to staff the growing number of specialized medical facilities within the region, and to provide a talent pipeline for the region’s expanding healthcare and biotech industries.

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KIRK KERKORIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT UNLV

Located in the Las Vegas Medical District, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV graduated its first class of students in May 2021. Fully accredited, the school currently has 246 medical students, 150 faculty physicians, and more than 300 medical residents and fellows.

TOURO UNIVERSITY NEVADA

Touro University Nevada is a private university and the state’s largest medical school, educating more than 1,500 students annually in a wide variety of degree programs.

ROSEMAN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Roseman University of Health Sciences opened in 1999 as the state’s only pharmacy school and has since expanded to offer dental medicine and nursing degrees and is in the process of accrediting its new doctor of medicine program.

Trade & Technical Programs

Not all jobs require a higher education degree. Many in-demand trades, including medical assistants, aviation mechanics, and HVAC specialists, only require vocational training. The Las Vegas Valley is home to several dozen private trade and technical schools that focus on hands-on training and offer professional certification and two-year associate degrees.

Discover Skilled Talent

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LVGEA helps you recruit, hire, and train a skilled workforce, at no cost!

LVGEA offers a dedicated workforce talent liaison who works directly with companies to recruit, hire, and train a skilled workforce. This trained professional can analyze your training and hiring needs, create a strategy to connect your business with Nevada’s workforce and identify financial incentives to help your business grow. Most importantly, our services are offered at no cost to you!

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EmployNV Business Hubs

With convenient locations throughout Southern Nevada, these American Job Centers provide employers with no-cost employment and training strategies.

Financial Incentives

The state offers a variety of financial incentives to help businesses grow and prosper. Incentives range from hiring and training incentives to tax credits for hiring Nevadans.

Job Seeker Database

Get access to Nevada’s largest database of active job seekers: EmployNV.gov. The site allows you to customize your job listings, sends alerts when a candidate applies or meets your requirements, and offers virtual candidate matching.

Hiring Events and Job Fairs

We’re experts at hosting successful hiring events and job fairs, including virtual online events. These events can be hosted at one of the EmployNV offices or your business site.

Offset Training Costs

Under a federal program, businesses are reimbursed up to 90% of a new employee’s wage, up to a maximum of $10,000, for on-the-job training. The length of training is dependent on the candidate’s current skills and the required skills for the position. Check to see if you might be eligible to take advantage of this funding:

Check Your Eligibility

Silver State Works

Through this state program, employers can receive up to $2,000 per employee in financial incentives or training allowances for new hires. Available incentives include employer-based training, on-the-job training, and incentive-based employment. Learn more about the incentives available and how you could qualify:

Available Incentives

Vocational Rehabilitation

This state program offers financial incentives and ongoing workforce development services to businesses that hire people with disabilities. Incentives include a credit for companies that incur expenses to provide access to persons with disabilities, tax deductions for removing barriers to mobility, and a work opportunity tax credit for hiring employees with disabilities. See how you can create a diverse and inclusive work environment while saving money:

Vocational Rehabilitation

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Businessman working on financial documents in the office.

Federal Tax Credits

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire individuals who have consistently faced barriers to employment. Employers may claim a tax credit if they hire an individual who is in a WOTC-targeted group. Learn more about how you can reduce your federal tax liability while also increasing workplace diversity:

Reduce Your Federal Tax Liability

Additional Workforce Training Resources

Workforce Connections

As Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board, Workforce Connections connects job seekers to education, job training, and employment opportunities.

Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation (DETR)

DETR is Nevada’s lead workforce development agency, providing job training and placement, unemployment insurance benefits, labor market data and more.

Nevada Office of Workforce Innovation

This state agency helps drive a skilled, diverse, and aligned workforce in Nevada by promoting cooperation and collaboration among all entities focused on workforce development.

Vegas PBS Workforce Education

With more than 370 career programs and 1,000 short-term and compliance courses, Vegas PBS’ Workforce Education program provides Southern Nevadans a path to fulfilling careers.