Las Vegas-area manufacturing companies struggling to fill jobs

The Chelten House manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas is poised to grow.

Gina Ciampaglio, the human resources manager at the manufacturing company, said Chelten House expects to add a warehouse or production line to its facility. The only problem is, finding qualified workers is harder than it may sound.

Chelten House, which produces a range of products such as organic pasta sauce and salad dressings, expects to expand operations locally despite challenges “finding skilled talent,” Ciampaglio said.

A recent report by the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance finds Chelten House is in the minority. About 58 percent of manufacturing companies that project significant growth over the next 12 to 24 months plan the growth outside of Nevada. About 17 percent of the surveyed companies said they’re doing so to access a better workforce.

“These reports are meant to bring out the message directly from our existing companies in these industries,” said Jared Smith, chief operating officer at the LVGEA. These companies are “delivering the message that we need more trained workers.”

The report was conducted through in-person interviews with 36 local manufacturing companies. Interview excerpts in the report include companies noting, “Labor supply is at its worst in the last 20 years” and “Low cost of doing business (in Nevada) is offset by lack of available workforce.”

The tight labor market isn’t helping, Ciampaglio said.

“We’re looking for folks with a manufacturing background … people coming in with basic knowledge on how to run machines and troubleshoot,” she said.

It’s an issue seen across the country; according to a 2017 national study by LEA Global, an alliance of more than 200 accounting and consulting firms, 47 percent of more than 250 national manufacturing executives who participated in an electronic survey noted a lack of qualified workers as a barrier to business growth.

But companies expanding beyond Nevada to access things like new market share and a better supply chain isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the state, Smith said.

“Just because the company’s expanding doesn’t mean they’re abandoning Nevada,” Smith said. “If they’re growing as a company, that strengthens their presence here.”

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.