The Vegas Chamber has unveiled a new online job education platform called JobX that’s designed to help Southern Nevada job seekers learn more about in-demand careers and industries within the region.
JobX is a website that offers a short career quiz to help users discover jobs that align with their interests and preferences. It helps simplify the job discovery process and connects the community with information about in-demand opportunities via a partnership with EmployNV.
“JobX gives students, job seekers and those who want to pursue a sustainable career in Southern Nevada a central hub for discovering new opportunities and accessing valuable information across a variety of career fields,” said Mary Beth Sewald, president and CEO of the Vegas Chamber. “Many people struggle with knowing where to begin, and we want JobX to be the go-to tool that helps them navigate their career journey.”
Recent numbers show that Southern Nevada added 41,100 jobs in the past year, reflecting a 3.7 percent growth rate and driven largely by construction and government sectors. Despite this progress, the region’s unemployment rate remains significantly higher than the national average. Sewald said.
JobX will focus on the 20 most in-demand occupations in Clark County. Roles include software development, teaching assistants, paralegals, plumbers, nurse practitioners as well as others.
“Our job market has shifted significantly since the pandemic,” said Sewald. “JobX is designed to bridge the gap, helping users discover these opportunities and navigate toward careers they might not have known were available and will provide a good income and quality of life.”
The Vegas Chamber developed JobX through a grant from Clark County and it’s already proving to be a great resource for job seekers. The Chamber’s biggest purpose for launching the project is to fill the gap of workers needed for the jobs being created.
“We’re trying to help them go from job to career,” Sewald said. “We’re excited about it. It’s been a heavy lift and a lot of work to put it together. But it will all be worth it.”
Sewald said the program has been in the works since the pandemic when the economy was shut down. The Chamber knew it had to find job opportunities for those, especially in the hospitality sector after they were displaced.
“That was a very fortuitous observation by the Chamber, and we started working on it back then,” Sewald said. “Here we are at the end of 2024 and able to launch JobX. I believe it’s going to be an excellent tool. The quiz is incredible and customized by the individual. Once you take that quiz and get some good ideas about career opportunities you didn’t even know existed, you get to see what those jobs would pay in Southern Nevada and who might be hiring for that particular job right now. It’s a resource that’s very unique and unlike anything else that we have here in the state.”
The concept behind JobX is to find out what jobs exist, what are the highest in-demand jobs and part three, which is the quiz, aptitude and interest test. It crosses over what are a person’s hobbies and what they do for fun and marries that with a skill set for which the person has an aptitude.
“Even if you don’t have that skill set, the website will direct you to places where you can get a certification or additional training so that you could be qualified to apply for a certain position,” Sewald said.
The website launched in September, but the Chamber is just starting to promote it. Sewald said the response has been excellent, and people are clamoring to find out more. Job seekers are calling the Chamber to ask about it, and employers are interested in it, as well.
“One of the things we hear from our members is that we need a ready workforce,” Sewald said. “That’s a niche the Chamber can provide to our members and employers in general.”
The website can serve anyone from a high school graduate who doesn’t want to go to college and may want a career in the trades. It also can be used by a college graduate or someone currently employed who wants to look for a new career path.
“They may say they’re fine with their job but would rather look for something more exhilarating or something that suits their skill set more,” Sewald said.
Tourism and hospitality are the No. 1 job sector in Southern Nevada. Still, economic development efforts to diversify the economy and attract other industries to the region, such as health care, high tech and manufacturing, are growing the job base, a recent industry report showed.
“In an effort to attract those other industries in Southern Nevada, we need to have a ready workforce,” Sewald said. “That’s another reason for the Chamber to take such an integral role in this to bridge that gap so when companies locate here, in Southern Nevada, we have a talent pipeline ready to go.”
The program has an impact beyond jobs and careers, Sewald said.
As for the lessons from the launch so far, Sewald called the positive response “refreshing and exciting” to know the Chamber is able to have such a profound effect on people’s lives in Southern Nevada.
“One of the things I really want to do to build out this platform is that right now it’s directed for individuals looking for employment or a new career path,” Sewald said. “I also want to build it out further so that it’s a vast resource for employers to go onto this portal and look at job applications,” Sewald said. “We’re very excited so anyone looking for a job or a career change, JobX is the place to go!”
