How many hired during recent job fair? 10 percent, official says

More than 500 people were “hired on the spot” during a recent large-scale employment fair, which promised to offer good-paying jobs as a federal safety net neared expiration for Nevadans.

Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said Tuesday that 126 employers and more than 5,000 job seekers participated in the five-hour Summer Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“About 10 percent of those who were seeking jobs were actually hired on the spot, with hundreds of others scheduled for interviews,” he said.

Gibson co-hosted the fair July 9 with other county lawmakers and had said they worked to make it the biggest employment event in Southern Nevada, with representation from most industries in the Las Vegas Valley.

“It was a rousing success,” he said Tuesday. “It’s taught us a little something about doing a job fair at a time when both job seekers and employers are desperate to find one another.”

Nevada added more than 15,000 jobs in June, yet the state’s unemployment rate only dipped to 7.78 percent from 7.84 percent in May, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which has provided an extra $300 weekly to recipients, is set to expire Sept. 4 in Nevada.

No third parties for liquor delivery

Clark County is considering allowing liquor stores to deliver alcohol on a permanent basis, but not bars, restaurants or grocery stores, according to talks Tuesday.

County lawmakers are likely to ban alcohol delivery to resort hotels and other gaming locations and unlikely to allow alcohol delivery by third-party vendors such as Instacart or Postmates, at least until recent state regulations on the issue come out.

The County Commission in April 2020 permitted package liquor stores to offer curbside pickup and home delivery of alcohol on a temporary basis during the pandemic, and business owners have sought to make the activity permanent.

Since February, the county has been working toward an ordinance. A public hearing on a proposed bill is planned for late September or early October.

Las Vegas in January allowed alcohol delivery to virtually anywhere in the city, and by third-party companies too, for any properly-licensed business.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.