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Need a job? NC employers filling hundreds of positions this week

Need a job? Hundreds of businesses in and around the Triangle are hoping to fill several open positions at two job fairs this week.

Posted Updated

By
Nia Harden
, WRAL reporter
DURHAM, N.C. — Need a job? Hundreds of businesses in and around the Triangle are hoping to fill several open positions at two job fairs this week.

Many employers said they've struggled to find new hires due to the pandemic.

Scott Peacock with Visit Raleigh said the restaurant and hospitality industry has had to keep capacity lower and even limit hours because of staffing shortages.

“The hospitality sector in particular and travel and tourism has been hit hard," Peacock said. "At the height of things we had 67,000 jobs right when the pandemic hit and 66% of those jobs were lost. So there’s a dire need for jobs."

According to Visit Raleigh, as more people get vaccinated and are more comfortable going out, demand and hotel occupancy is starting to come back. Financial reports show these industries are nearly flat to where they were pre-pandemic, meaning they’ve almost fully recovered.

Employers are still struggling, though, because Peacock said some people laid off during the pandemic are not ready to go back to work.

“If you can stay at home and keep yourself safe and not put yourself at risk of contracting COVID-19 and still collect a healthy unemployment check, it’s a barrier to you getting back into the market," he said. "What we’re seeing a little bit is some people are saying, yes maybe I would’ve been better off at home, but I don’t want to miss out on an opportunity."

Peacock said he does not expect it to be like this for long in our area.

“There’s a lot of opportunity," he said about the industry. "If you ever wanted to get into this space, now is a great time to do so, because there’s jobs at every level."

Job fair on Tuesday, Wednesday

Hire Dynamics, located at 5410 N.C. Highway 55, Suite AE, is hosting a job fair Tuesday and Wednesday in Durham. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, and organizers say last year’s event helped 2,700 applicants find jobs.

Employers in the fields of manufacturing, administrative and e-commerce/logistics at warehouses and distribution centers are seeking applicants.

Participants can book appointments using the Hire Dynamics Work4HD app or walk-in or drive-up to Hire Dynamics. To meet COVID-19 safety guidelines, there will be a drive-through interview option and social distancing and contactless transactions.

Tech jobs also in demand, virtual job fair Wednesday

The restaurant and hospitality industry is not the only one hiring.

The virtual expo event, held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., features virtual booths with more 20 employers like Allscripts, Ally, Channel Advisor, Deutsche Bank, Dude Solutions, Google, insightsoftware, LexisNexis, First Citizens Bank, Toshiba Global Commerce, Wake Technical Community College, and more.

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