Applications Roll in for 12,000 New Jobs in Las Vegas

People flocked to CityCenter's new career center this week in Las Vegas to fill out job...

People flocked to CityCenter's new career center this week in Las Vegas to fill out job applications. CityCenter, a 67-acre, $9.1-billion, mixed-use urban development center on the Las Vegas Strip, a joint project between MGM Mirage and Dubai World, is the largest private development in the United States. MGM Mirage is looking to hire 12,000 workers ahead of the expected opening in late 2009.

(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

12,000 Jobs, 100,000 Applications

CityCenter human resources chief Michael Peltyn said 35,000 job applications flooded in just this first week. They're expecting at least 100,000 people to try their luck for the 12,000 openings.

"We can screen 700 people a day in person and another three or four hundred via telephone for out-of-state applicants," he said. "So we can talk to about 1,000 people daily."

That includes Las Vegas resident Ron Kirby, who has been out of work for five months now. The former senior vice president at a collections agency has now applied for hundreds of jobs.

"I'm on the computer every day looking for job opportunities," he said. "... I've got head hunters in five different states looking for me." Kirby seemed happy with his initial interview at CityCenter. And Smith-Philips also seemed pleased with her first round. Now the people doing the initial question-and-answer sessions have a tough job ahead of them: picking who will advance to the next round.

CityCenter Faces Big Expenses

Although the MGM Mirage is over-budget and, some say, overly ambitious with its sprawling CityCenter complex, managers say they are not slowing down.

Like most big ideas in this town, it began with a bang as the old Boardwalk Hotel gave way to a golden piece of real estate in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.

"There isn't anything close to this big anywhere in the United States," said Alan Feldman, senior vice president of public affairs for MGM Mirage.

The CityCenter, one of the most expensive projects of its kind, now faces a deepening recession amid cost overruns and safety concerns as construction crews suffer a series of accidents while racing to complete the massive complex.

CityCenter's investors have needed gigantic cash infusions and have been forced to sell other assets just to keep it alive.

"Our bottom line will have to be altered because clearly, the prices we're going to get for things aren't what they were when we started projecting things out," Feldman said.

But he's not backing down from the 12,000 jobs.

That's good news for Smith-Philips, who explained that things are growing steadily worse as she falls behind on her bills.