Nevada fast-tracking hiring to fill jobs for overwhelmed unemployment office

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada is fast-tracking the hiring of temporary unemployment office workers to deal with a wave of benefits claims that followed the mid-March closure of casinos and other businesses in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Steve Sisolak on Monday signed a directive letting the state's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation hire contractors and rehire retirees or former employees to process claims alongside regular state workers through the end of this year.

Sisolak says skipping normal competitive hiring practices should help get insurance benefits more quickly to more out-of-work Nevada residents.

“I have heard stories from many Nevadans who are experiencing issues trying to process claims, and our staff at DETR has been working as quickly as possible to process the unprecedented number of claims,” Gov. Sisolak said in a Monday press release.

The state's jobless office has been overwhelmed by more than 440,000 initial claims for jobless benefits this calendar year. That's close to one in three people who had jobs statewide in February.

“We are excited to now have the ability to move forward on hiring the critical staff needed to assist in processing the record number of unemployment insurance claims,” DETR director Heather Korbulic said in a press release. “We are optimistic this Directive will provide the flexibility we need to hire staff in support of all facets of the UI and CARES Act processes.

We will work expeditiously in the hiring and training of staff engaged under this Directive, so we can get benefits to Nevadans in a timelier fashion."