Las Vegas
Few cities in the United States have been hit harder by the recession than Las Vegas. Over the past two years, Sin City has effectively ground to a halt: The once booming hospitality industry has suffered harsh comments from Obama and casinos have either gone bankrupt or closed their hotel rooms.
Las Vegas was once a city which personified all of the glorious, gaudy and even greedy aspects of the American Dream, now it offers a view of the effect the recession has had across the United States. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the situation is easing in Las Vegas either, as the Las Vegas Sun has reported that unemployment climbed to 13.8% in January, which the newspaper has reported as “the 13th consecutive month of double-digit unemployment”.
When compared with the national unemployment average in the United States, which totals in at 9.7% in January, it’s clear that Las Vegas has some way to go before it manages to recover. However, there is some hope for those in the casino industry, as employment in January climbed to 151,200, when compared with December’s figure of 146,200. For now though, both businesses and residents in the original gambling capital will remain cautious about what 2010 holds for them.
Do you live in Las Vegas? Let us know how the recession has affected you by leaving a comment using the comment option below.