LAS VEGAS -- Ty Weinert attended a forum at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in west Las Vegas Thursday to hear straight from Labor Secretary Hilda Solis about the job market.
"My husband is a union carpenter and he really wanted me to find out what help is out there for him," Weinert said. "He's working now, but the reality is he needs to find a new career."
Weinert and her family felt the fallout from the Great Recession when Las Vegas fell down on its luck.
The family went bankrupt, losing their home and their business.
"We had Potato Valley Cafe, a great place downtown on Las Vegas Boulevard," she said. "Three and a half years and the economy tanked, and a lot of our customers lost their jobs. We had to close our doors."
Solis said Las Vegas has a long way to go, but believes the job market will turn around.
"We know that there are things that can be done in the Congress to help make sure that we can get people back to work," she said. "One of which is a big infrastructure project that would put a lot of construction workers (to work) and create about a million jobs, and you can see that there's a lot of need for construction here."
High-rise hotels and casinos also went broke when the recession ravaged the oasis in the desert, drying up the jobs.
Solis said the United States must focus on what will work well.
"Also, creating investments in areas like high tech, renewable energy, health care," she said. "Making sure that people who lost their jobs -- because those jobs aren't going to come back -- that they're getting into new 21st century jobs."
Weinert is just one example in a state where many are desperate to earn a better living.
"The reality is, there are a lot of people who are hurting and who need help," she said.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis visited Las Vegas Thursday to discuss the job market.
