As the economy continues to nosedive to increasingly dramatic lows, the job market in Las Vegas is looking remarkably grim. Just recently the folks at Black Gaming made the announcement that the Oasis would be shutting down a handful of their operations. This means that as many as 500 jobs will be cut as soon as the end of this week. This development has left a great many people wondering how they are going to survive. This is an especially difficult time to be out of work with the holiday season fast approaching.

In nearby Mesquite, which is a town that has in the past held Black Gaming as its largest employer, finding a job will be next to impossible and many workers will be looking to Las Vegas for employment possibilities. But even in Las Vegas, people seem to be losing their jobs right and left. Casino and hotel operators are doing their best to find other ways to absorb their loss in revenue, but job cuts are inevitable, especially if the downturn of the nation’s financial system continues on the path it is marching down.

Gaming jobs within Las Vegas are particularly hard to come by these days. Officials estimate that they are down by about 70% with more and more layoffs occurring every single week. Temp and employment agencies that this same time last year had job boards brimming with post-its of opportunities has become almost deserted. Several employment agencies have stated that they are no longer even accepting applications. The market has gotten so bleak that employment agencies themselves are having to cut back and layoff some of their own workers.