[mawilson]

Hello Everyone, My family and I are considering moving to Vegas to escape the cold weather of where we are from. I am curious how the job market is in LV? I am working now as a drafter and I also have a side business that works the best in the summer time since it is a exterior based/concrete decoration business. I draft as a Civil drafter for a engineering and Land Surveying Company. Does LV have a good job market?

[BobKovacs]

"Good" relative to where? There are opportunities for drafting/surveying all the time, but you may not consider them to be "good" relative to what you're making where you are currently.

Regarding the concrete decoration business, be prepared to get licensed, insured and bonded if you're going to operate in LV- the state contractor's licensing board is pretty tough on what requires a license, and you'll likely need one, even if it's only a "side business".

[mawilson]

Well,
Where I am from, you do not have to have a license to do the concrete work, if it is not required to take out a building permit. Do you happen to know if that is the case in Nevada?

[BobKovacs]

There's plenty of work in NV that requires the contractor to be licensed while the work doesn't require a building permit. Depending on the product and service you're providing, you're likely either going to classified as a painting contractor, which covers " The application of all paints, varnishes, protective coatings, shellacs, stains and other pigment by brush, spray or roller", or a concrete contractor, which covers "Apply concrete sealants and other waterproofing products". Both of those descriptions are taken from the NSCB website, linked below. NV is second only to CA in the level of ridiculous licensing laws they have in place- you need a license to take a leak in NV.

Getting Licensed (http://www.nvcontractorsboard.com/Licensing%20Info%20Page.htm - broken link)

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

NV is second only to CA in the level of ridiculous licensing laws they have in place- you need a license to take a leak in NV.

That goes without saying that a 2-year old getting potty-trained can actually obtain a learner's permit!

[cjski21]

My brother is a Architect and he is having the hardest time finding work here. The market is receding a bit and jobs are disappearing. He says they ask him in interviews, "who do you know on the project" and he says "nobody really" and they wish him luck and he never hears anything again. He is well decorated too. He did Comerica park in Detroit and the quest building in Denver.

[jpk]

Originally Posted by cjski21

My brother is a Architect and he is having the hardest time finding work here. The market is receding a bit and jobs are disappearing. He says they ask him in interviews, "who do you know on the project" and he says "nobody really" and they wish him luck and he never hears anything again. He is well decorated too. He did Comerica park in Detroit and the quest building in Denver.

Wow, that is brutal.

[parking]

Hello,

I used to live in Vegas. As a matter of fact, my home is rented out. I now reside in San Francisco. After looking for employment for 4 months in Vegas, I gave up. I accepted employment in SF as a building engineer for a highrise building. Starting pay $72,000 yr. I suggest that you research postings from this website and elsewhere.

Beware, you will get responses from realtors from this website mentioning that they're tons of work in Vegas. Don't be fooled. Don't make the mistake I made.

Good Luck!!!!

[desertsun41]

There is no job market in Vegas. Just as little as a couple years ago, jobs grew on trees here. The illegals weighed down the wage scale so much so that even college grads are working fast food joints just to pay the bills that exceed their wages.

Have you heard? Las Vegas leads the universe in foreclosures. What does that tell you? Thats a pretty strong indicator of what is going on here.

What everyone else is telling you is true about licensing and all kinds of criminal checks and work cards here. It is a complete invasion of our privacy but people dont seem to care much. Not that we can change anything mind you.

Do more research before you make the big move. This is not paradise anymore. All building has stopped dead in the desert sand. Deader then anyother place in America short of maybe California or Florida. Does that sound like a place you would find work?

Good luck wherever you end up.......

[olecapt]

We are mixing up various things here.

The Residental Construction industry and its support system is flat on its backside...no question about it. And not likely to change this year...maybe not next.

The commercial industry is still going great guns and will likely continue for the foreseeable future. .

There are going to be over 100,000 new jobs in Las Vegas over the next two years. That will tighten the local labor market. Note that many jobs will be entry level at relatively low salary. But there will be a number of reasonable positions.

Architecture jobs are normally solicited widely. Like a heavy engineer or programmer you go where the job is. Las Vegas is not a great Tech town. Much more blue collar.

Drafters are normally in some demand everywhere. The hit on the residental construction market will certainly have some effect.

Health, alcohol and Sherriff cards are part of the system here and cause little more than nuisance problems. It is not uncommon for most members in civic organizations to have health cards so they can serve food at public events.