Looking for work? Virtual job fair will be held next Tuesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 23

As a historic number of people file for unemployment benefits in Michigan, and across the country, West Michigan Works! will host a virtual job fair next week in an attempt to connect employers and job seekers during the state’s stay-at-home order.

The fair will be held Tuesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 23 and will include more than 35 employers. During the week of April 13, job seekers can register for 15-minute phone conversations (which will take place during the job fair) with local employers that have immediate openings. To register, please click here.

The employers are looking to fill open positions in a range of industries, from construction and healthcare to retail. Participating employers include: Seminole Shores Assisted Living Center in Norton Shores, Forge Industrial Staffing in Norton Shores, Metro Health, Samaritas, Padnos, Hutt Trucking, and more. To see the list of employers, go here.

As many employers across Michigan have had to close their doors in order to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order and curb the spread of Covid-19, other essential employers are looking to find workers for open positions, West Michigan Works! Business Solutions Director Amy Lebednick said. Many of the employers have had to increase their production in response to the coronavirus.

“We’re hearing from employers who need to quickly ramp up their recruitment efforts to fill a large number of job vacancies,” Lebednick said in a press release. “These are employers who provide essential products and services and some who have retooled their facilities or operations to produce much-needed items such as hand sanitizer or face masks.” 

Next week’s job fair comes after more than one million people in Michigan—about one in four workers—have applied for unemployment benefits over the past month. As nearly one-quarter of Michigan’s workforce finds itself without jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, the state has struggled to keep up with the surge in filings; an untold number of individuals who have been laid off or furloughed have not been able to file for benefits because they haven’t been able to connect with the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency. Individuals have described attempting to call hundreds, even thousands, of times without ever reaching someone at the state.

For more information about the job fair, go to the West Michigan Works! website at westmiworks.org/virtual-job-fair/.