No one can deny that our economy is in serious trouble, and Nevada is one of the hardest hit states. Unemployment numbers in the Silver State are at an all-time high, even greater than the national average.

News 3's Dan Ball digs deeper into whether there really is work out there for people who so desperately need it at the Palms Resort's job fair Wednesday, sponsored by Jobertising.com.  

Nevada, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing the lingering affects of high gas prices, the credit crisis, and the housing slump. Those affects are causing more and more Nevadans to lose their jobs. In fact, the state's unemployment rate has hit a 23-year high.

"Currently Nevada's unemployment rate is at 7.1 percent, and that's the worse we've seen since the early 80's," says Mae Flennoy of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

27-year-old Ryan McGuire is one of those Nevadans looking for a job.

"I've been looking for a couple of months now, every day," explains Ryan. "I used to be a poker dealer in Atlantic City, and it seems like all the poker jobs are taken up."

Ryan, like many folks out of work, has a skill, but just needs something to pay the bills. "At this point, I'm looking for anything. I'm looking to scrub toilets at this point."

At the Jobertising.com job fair, dozens of employers showed up, some needing to fill just one or two positions. Others, like the Venetian, is looking to hire over 100 workers.

If you need a job, employers say the key is to stand out from the rest.

"We encourage people to make themselves as marketable as possible," says Nevada Job Connect. "We help with improving your resume, learning what your skills are, and help you with job seeking."

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation is predicting that 44,000 more jobs will be created between now and 2011.

But most won't show up until the last two years of that economic forecast.