CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nearly 50 employers took part in a job fair at Carowinds Tuesday with the goal of filling hundreds of openings in the Charlotte area in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
NCWorks and SC Works partnered for the Job Fair of the Carolinas, which was once again held at Carowinds. The park closed for the event, which featured nearly 50 companies in a range of industries with openings. This is the fifth time in three years SC Works and NCWorks have collaborated for a job fair.
“This is a tight labor market," NCWorks Regional Operations Director Ronne Grantham said. "Employers and job seekers, they do not see county lines or state lines and we just want to take advantage of this opportunity to bring together employers and job seekers."
The event ran until 1 p.m. on Tuesday and was open to the public. Veterans were welcome and identified with a special wristband they received at the job fair's entrance.
Employers from various sectors, including health care, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, finance and construction participated in the event. State and local government offices were also attending, as were employers in the entertainment and hospitality industries.
Among them were Giti Tire, which has a facility in Chester County.
“We have a lot of opportunities from manufacturing associates to engineers, software engineers," Raymond Silinski with Giti said.
While, he said, they're working to expand their workforce in the region, others were just hoping to meet the existing need with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Charlotte Area Transit System, and the York County Sheriff's Office all in attendance.
The latest U.S. jobs report shows unemployment at a near 50-year low, but the U.S. Chamber says there's not enough workers to fill slots.
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The organization estimates roughly three million jobs would still be available, if everyone who could work in the U.S. did and blames early retirement, the pandemic, and a lack of access to child care, in part, for the shortage.
It's not just employers having a tough time though, as workers look to find a company that's the right fit.
Kasaan Lytle came to the fair in search of mechanical engineering roles.
"Sometimes companies ask for 10 years of experience, 15 years of experience, even five years of experience and all I have, right now, is two to three years of experience," Lytle said. "But some companies when you talk to an actual person, they say, oh, we can overlook this experience because you have this on your background and this on your background.”
The job fair originated out of the COVID-19 pandemic, when career centers in the Carolinas found new ways to connect businesses with talent.
Having the job fair at Carowinds has allowed employers to participate, thus creating more opportunities for jobseekers. Individuals and organizations from five counties and two states participated. Click here for more details.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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