Its new office will be located at 1857 Helm Drive and will feature a laboratory for storage of stem cell products.  The company stores umbilical cord blood from newborn babies.  The blood can be used in the future to treat cancer, leukemia and other blood and immunity disorders.

Company officials claim that they may become the nation’s largest cryogenic storage center and stem-cell lab.  This is big news for Las Vegas and Nevada as we continue to add new research jobs in healthcare.  Others such as Nevada Cancer Institute and Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health  continue to add new jobs for healthcare professionals. 

Although the state’s jobless rate hovers at 13 percent and many workers are losing jobs, health care employment in Las Vegas has bucked that trend  just as it has across the nation.

Toward the end of 2009, Las Vegas had 69,700 health care workers, up 3.4 percent or 2,300 jobs from a year earlier, said Brian Gordon, principal at research firm Applied Analysis.

“They have outperformed other sectors of the economy regardless of the economic climate. People still demand health care-related services,” Gordon said. “Given the fact that the population continues to age, that segment of the population will continue to demand medical-related services.”

By the firm’s count, in 2008 Nevada had 25.5 health care workers per 1,000 people, well below the average 35.7 workers per 1,000 people across the nation. That opens the door to more growth in Las Vegas.

The valley is in a good position for growth in health care jobs because it has the Nevada Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which will bring in additional researchers and medical workers, Gordon said.

Nevada’s Employment, Training and Rehabilitation Chief Economist Bill Anderson said the health care sector has held up “relatively well compared to the economy as a whole during this downturn.” Once the books are closed on 2009, health care jobs are likely to have increased by 1.1 percent compared with a 9.5 percent job loss overall, he said.

The growth in medical jobs in Las Vegas has slowed in the last couple of years, said Anderson, who expects employment in the sector to grow at 1 percent to 2 percent for the next two years.

“It has definitely eased from where it was during the boom years,” Anderson said. “Health care is very much population and demographic driven. As population has grown over time, that has allowed the health sector to weather the downturn better.”

What’s happening in Las Vegas has been happening in the rest of the country.

Nationally, construction has lost 21 percent of its jobs from December 2007 to last December. Manufacturing lost 15 percent of its jobs, and business and financial services have lost 6 percent to 7 percent of their jobs in that time. Health care employment, however, has risen 5 percent.

“The health care industry is critical to a region’s economic development because it is relatively recession resistant,” said John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting Group. “And, health care employees are generally better trained and earn above-average wages.”

In 2009’s second quarter, the average weekly wage of health care workers was $957 compared with the overall job market of $793. That’s a 21 percent premium over the rest of the economy because health care workers are generally higher-trained people, and there is more demand because there is a shortage, Restrepo said.

“The health care industry is not sexy like the green jobs or biotech, but it is a core industry that you need to pay good wages,” Restrepo said.

Charles Perry, Nevada Health Care Association executive director, said health care employment has held steady because it is such a crucial profession and because it’s funded by either insurance or government programs.

But Perry said jobs are threatened because of state budget problems. Under Gov. Jim Gibbons proposal, a $10 per patient per day reduction for skilled nursing services would be sought. The state pays $12.27 less than what it costs to provide the service, he said.

“Seventy percent of the cost in running skilled nursing is patient care, and that absolutely means cutting staff,” Perry said. “But it doesn’t stop with us. Folks that operate acute-care facilities are looking at a 5 percent (cut) in addition to the 5 percent cut they took last year. Every segment of the health care delivery system in Nevada that depends on Medicaid for any portion of its revenue is going to take it in the shorts so to speak. It could have a heck of a long-term impact (on jobs).”

Frank Bellinger, Horizon Specialty Hospital CEO, said health care employment remains a solid career choice because workers can’t be replaced with robots and a shortage of licensed nurses remains.

Bellinger said he expects employment to hold steady with no large increases or cutbacks, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems for the profession. Pay increases had been 4 percent during the good economy, but that has slowed to 2 percent to 3 percent, he said.

“For the first time in my career, our company told us we are not going to get cost-of-living increases and I am sure we are not alone,” Bellinger said.

Dr. Harry Rosenberg, University of Southern Nevada president, said health care employment has been affected by the economy and Wall Street in particular.

Some pharmacists at the chain drugstores have postponed retirement because they lost a lot of money in investments. Their decision has slowed the demand for pharmacists.

Dr. Carolyn Yucha, UNLV School of Nursing dean, said the recession has affected veteran nurses as well by forcing some to move to full-time positions or delay their retirement because household income is down. One reason may be someone in the home lost his job, she said.

“It is more difficult for new graduates to get a job,” Yucha said. “They haven’t been immune to this.”

For the 16-month program that starts this summer, 70 people have applied for 48 spots, she said. In the fall, 900 students entered the prenursing program.

“They believe this is the place they can get a job, and when the recession goes away we will need them,” Yucha said.

The unknown for the industry is what happens with federal health care reform because it will shape future employment if more

people are given access to health care, Rosenberg said. That means creating additional jobs.

“This is a great opportunity, not only for Nevada Cancer Institute, but the community at-large” said John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D., NVCI Director and CEO, who also holds the Murren Family Distinguished Director’s Chair. “The fact that Nevada Cancer Institute, with the help of our partners, can support, train and then employ new health care professionals here in our own state, will greatly benefit our economy, those needing jobs and especially, the cancer patient.”

Each partner will bring a unique element of the program to life. NVCI will serve as a hub for the Plus One Program, providing participants with preparation for national certification, clinical supervision, and paid positions in oncology nursing and allied health. workforceCONNECTIONS’ service providers will provide transportation assistance, clothing, food, child care, and other supportive services and CSN will expand their programs to recruit students who will receive scholarships and entry-level oncology related work experience. Workers from the Plus One Program will garner higher wages, experience upward job mobility and qualify for jobs in high demand areas of healthcare.

With a new research building open and continued growth, including an innovative partnership with the county hospital to provide cancer care in a second outpatient location, NVCI is looking to quickly increase its number of nurses with specific competencies needed in cancer treatment and train more laboratory technicians. These specialized jobs have the potential to pay increased wages, provide excellent fringe benefits and support articulated career ladders within the field of oncology.

The BLM’s approval comes in time for mining to continue and the expansion to begin. The mine would have run out of permitted disturbance space in mid-year without the OK to expand operations.

“It was a good project to work on, and we think we ended up with a good final decision,” said the Ely BLM’s Egan Field Office manager, Jeffrey Weeks, who signed the record of decision. “I’m glad we could finally bring this to a close. I know it was important to them and to a lot of folks that work there.”

The workforce was at 185 people in late January, but Bald Mountain expects to add 50 more people this year and 60 to 80 more in the following two or three years as mining expands, according to General Manager Dave McClure.

“The BLM’s approval of this project is great news for White Pine and Elko counties and for our employees at Bald Mountain. This expansion will sustain more than 200 mining jobs, while adding about a decade to the mine life at Bald Mountain,” Lou Schack, director of communications and community affairs for Barrick Gold of North America, said Wednesday.

Most workers live in Elko, Spring Creek, Ely and Eureka.

The permit allows Bald Mountain to expand current open pits, expand leach pads and new waste dumps, construct a new shop, expand exploration activities and combine mine plans for the Mooney Basin area and the Bald Mountain site into one plan.

“The mine will continue to generate much needed tax revenues in rural Nevada, and we look forward to many additional years of production at Bald Mountain,” Barrick Gold of North America President Greg Lang said Wednesday.

He said Barrick will spend roughly $200 million on the expansion project over the next five years.

The record of decision states that Barrick’s reclamation bond for all of Bald Mountain Mine will be nearly $47.4 million, and the BLM decision calls for the preferred alternative analyzed in the environmental impact statement for partial backfilling of open pits.

According to the BLM, the proposed action would disturb 3,920 additional acres for a total disturbance of 8,080 acres of public land at Bald Mountain.

New York Life, an insurance company, is planning to hire about 300 agents during the next year and about 30 of those positions will be located at the company’s office in Reno.

“We invest in our employees to ensure they are successful,” Lawrence Carter, who works with the company, told KTVN. “We pay to license them and get them going.”

Carter moved to Reno about two years ago and felt the population there was under served, which is part of his motivation for wanting to add new staff. Aside from the competitive salaries that New York Life offers, the company also pays you to go through training.

“We invest about $300,000 in every agent we hire and about $70,000 of that goes into their pockets in salary and bonuses - plus we offer full medical coverage the day they start for them and their families and a 401K,” Carter added.

The added jobs could be a step in the right direction as far as helping to revive Reno’s faltering economy. During July, the Reno-Sparks area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.8 percent to 12.2 percent. This is higher than the unemployment rate of 6.7 percent the area saw last year and higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The area has not seen a decrease in unemployment since April, when the rate went from 11.2 percent to 11 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 197,400 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 200,100 workers during June and an 8.4 percent decrease from last year.

During July, the Reno-Sparks area saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.8 percent to 12.2 percent. This is higher than the unemployment rate of 6.7 percent the area saw last year and higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The area has not seen a decrease in unemployment since April, when the rate went from 11.2 percent to 11 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 197,400 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 200,100 workers during June and an 8.4 percent decrease from last year.

No industries managed to add jobs when compared to last year. The mining and logging industry employed 400 workers during July, the same as during June and the same as last year.

The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 11,700 workers during July, which is the same as during June, but a 32.8 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in jobs include:

• manufacturing by 9.1 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 2.5 percent
• information by 7.1 percent
• financial activities by 6.1 percent
• professional and business services by 11.7 percent
• education and health services by .9 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 11.8 percent
• other services by 5.4 percent
• government by 2.9 percent

During July, Nevada saw its unemployment rate increase from 11.9 percent to 12.5 percent, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The state hasn’t seen its unemployment rate decrease since December 2005, when it went from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent.

The state had a total non-farm employment of 1,187,300 workers during July, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,193,000 workers during June and a 6.4 percent decrease from last year.

Two industries managed to add jobs when compared to last year. The mining and logging industry employed 12,500 workers during July, up from 12,400 workers during June and a 1.6 percent increase from last year. The education and health services industry employed 98,200 workers during July, down from 98,600 workers during June, but a 2.3 percent increase from last year.

The construction industry once again took the biggest hit when compared to last year. That industry employed 88,900 workers during July, down from 91,600 workers during June and a 25.1 percent decrease from last year.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year job loss include:

• manufacturing by 7.2 percent
• trade, transportation and utilties by 3.5 percent
• information by 4.7 percent
• financial activities by 6.8 percent
• professional and business services by 7.2 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 6.6 percent
• other services by 1.1 percent
• government by 2.7 percent

As of the fiscal year that ended June 30, the percentage of employees within state agencies either leaving or changing their jobs came in at 17 percent, a decrease from 24 percent during 2006 and 22 percent during 2007.

“The security that government affords in a time like this is pretty clear,” Nevada Personnel Director Teresa Thienhaus, told San Jose Mercury News. “We probably have people making life choices to stay with a certain thing rather than to move and take something less certain.”

Of the employees who did leave their jobs at state agencies, only 11 percent said the departure was related to unsatisfactory work conditions, down from 27 percent during 2006. The number of employees who left to start their own business declined to almost half of the 50-per-year average.

An average of about 200 employees usually leave the state for other government agencies, but this year only 129 workers did so, meaning few workers are leaving their current positions for better paying jobs in local government. While all factors point to the state’s workforce seeing a new level of stabilization, that could be turned around once the economy begins to revive.

Another surprising figure, the number of people retiring has increased from 400 during each of the last four years to 572 this year. Officials say the increase is the result of changes to state benefits programs and is not related to the economy. In essence, the elimination of many benefits and limits on retiree participation in benefits programs forced many people to retire early.

it was recently announced that the U.S. Department of Energy will give Nevada $13,885,600 of a $34,714,000 funding round from the federal economic stimulus. This accounts for 40 percent of Nevada’s total State Energy Program funding authorized under the recovery act.

The first 10 percent of funding was given to the Nevada State Office of Energy to support new staffing and program planning activities. The remaining 50 percent will be released in two phases once required reporting, oversight and accountability measures are met.

The funding will be used for Nevada’s State Energy Plan, which was created by Gov. Jim Gibbons’ Energy Office, and has been approved by the United States Department of Energy.

“This infusion of money will help Nevada invest in our energy future’” Gibbons said. “Virtually every segment of Nevada’s population will benefit by putting people back to work and funding both short-term and long-term investments in Nevada’s energy future, especially renewable energy and energy efficiency/energy conservation projects and programs.”

Throughout Nevada, the funds will be used for a variety of projects and purposes, including implementing energy efficiency measures and renewable energy projects in schools, retro-fitting public buildings to save energy, installing energy efficient traffic signals, and providing funds for a revolving loan program and grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency/energy conservation projects.

Overall, the stimulus funds will support the national State Energy Program. Total funding for this energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative transportation program nationwide is $3.1 billion.

“This funding will provide an important boost for state economies, help put Americans back to work, and move us toward energy independence,” Steven Chu, Department of Energy secretary, said. “It reflects our commitment to support innovative state and local strategies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy while insisting that taxpayer dollars be spent responsibly.”

Politicians from Nevada recently found out, via The Wall Street Journal, that e-mails from the FBI and Department of Agriculture have been encouraging conference locations to take place in areas that aren’t resort destinations and don’t appear to be “lavish.”

Following the release of that information, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons was quoted as saying that President Barack Obama’s administration “seemed to be completely unaware of the damage they are causing” by such policies. Gibbons further called the blacklist “an outrageous insult to the working families in Nevada” and asked the state’s congressional delegation to press Obama for a change in such policies.

“I am working hard to get more jobs and more tourists for Nevada to help our economy recover, and the Obama administration seems to be completely unaware of the damage they are causing to Nevada’s economy and the people here,” Gibbons said.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has reported that hundreds of conventions and business meetings scheduled to take place in the Las Vegas area have been canceled during the last several months, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Although it has been reported that agencies, including the FBI, General Services Agency and Bureau of Indian Affairs, canceled recent Las Vegas meetings, White House officials have said there is no informal federal policy against government meetings or conferences in the city.