An extremely strong turnout at a Windsor job fair is highlighting the demand for employment opportunities across the region.
About 1,300 people came through the Caboto Club on Thursday to meet with 35 employers representing industries including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and retail.
The event was hosted by Workforce WindsorEssex under the Windsor Regional Employment Network.
It comes just one day after Costco held its own job fair at the Serbian Centre, where more than 1,100 people showed up.
Employers at Thursday’s fair included Costco once again, Anchor Danly, Caesars Windsor, the City of Windsor, ENWIN, Erie Shores HealthCare, Ford, Minth Group, Nature Fresh Farms, the OPP, Schlegel Villages, Windsor Regional Hospital and more.
While Costco conducted face-to-face interviews, the other employers were accepting resumes and speaking directly with job seekers.
Aaron Fauteux, Service Innovation Lead at Workforce WindsorEssex, says the crowds varied from people looking for their first job to experienced workers looking for a change.
“We’re hearing a little bit of everything. We’re hearing people who are unemployed and looking for work. We’re hearing from people who have work and are looking for something different or maybe something better. We’re hearing from people with lots of experience and people who are coming in with little to no experience that are hoping for entry-level jobs.”
He says while Costco had a lot of interest, there were many other employers who had lines at their booths as well.
“There was a lot of interest in some of the employers. I noticed we had Minth, which was here, they had some long lines. The hospital had some long lines. There are a few employers, I think, that stuck out that tended to gather crowds, and I think a lot of those tended to be entry-level positions.”
Fauteux says these job fairs tend to attract large crowds due to the personal feeling that comes with them.
“They’re just happy to meet someone face to face. Even if they’re not doing an interview, even if they’re just dropping off a resume, it’s nice to shake a hand, say hello, put a face to the name, and know that someone’s looking at your resume instead of just sending it through some online form and having AI scan it and having potentially not even a human person ever looking at your resume.”
Workforce WindsorEssex says its large job fair has been held annually in September and has grown each year as word spreads.
Smaller job fairs are also held throughout the year for individual employers.
Workforce WindsorEssex says people can follow the Windsor Regional Employment Network on social media for information about upcoming job fairs and employment opportunities.
The Windsor Regional Employment Network is a consortium partnership between Workforce WindsorEssex and the City of Windsor.