The Ministry of Social Development’s Auckland made an initiative to provide a job fair for the citizens. With more than 45 employers on board, they were able to produce approximately 2000 jobs. The event was also made possible in partnership with the Warriors Community Foundation.
The influx of employers is because of the current staffing shortage that a lot of businesses are facing. With the more relaxed pandemic instructions, businesses are now eager to open their physical stores, hence they need more manpower.
The 800 applicants who have attended the said fair have been very helpful to supply this ongoing shortage. Most of the applicants have been in the workforce before, but even first-time appliers are much welcomed.
The job fair featured different industries and niches, thus, it’s almost impossible to say that there’s no job that you want when you get there.
Aside from the astonishing amount of job openings that have been featured, one of the highlights of the job fair has been the virtual reality offering.
We already know how virtual reality has helped businesses achieve amazing things. Now they are being used to let the applicants feel what they will be working on. Allowing them to have a glimpse of what is waiting for them is very important and it makes them a lot more eager to start work as soon as possible.
Joanne O’Connor, who is one of the heads of the event, has said that the job fair’s purpose is to not just help businesses but also the community. By producing more jobs, more businesses will slowly recover and get back to their former glory.
O’Connor also expressed her expectations, citing that she’s hoping that more applicants will be more comfortable at the fair since they are being offered more jobs and career opportunities.
She also added that they are trying to make the citizens a lot more independent. And that the first step to that is employment. Once everything has been settled, citizens will have everything a lot easier.
Sharon Lockhart from Knights Security expressed her gratitude toward the event, citing that recruits she has seen so far are very promising. Aside from that, she also said that because of the pandemic, the recruiting process has been very difficult and that with the lifting of several protocols, she hopes that everything goes back to normal.
A lot of employers are also very happy with what they are seeing. Among the hundreds of applicants, a lot have stood out and recruiters are very pleased with the results.
