MANSFIELD ─ A free online job fair on Thursday, Feb. 18 will provide job seekers an opportunity to connect with multiple companies in Richland and Crawford Counties.
Clint Knight, workforce development director for Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development, said JobsOhio partners with the regional workforce partners at Richland-Crawford Ohio Means Jobs to create the OH•Zone Virtual Career Fair.
The chamber and the Crawford Partnership have been engaged as promotional partners to involve as many industries and businesses as possible, Knight said.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 18. At least 14 companies based in Richland and Crawford Counties will be offering job openings. They are:
Avita Health System
Bucyrus Blades
Charter Next Generation
Community Opportunity – Crawford, Richland & Wyandot Counties
DeLaney Staffing
Eagle Crusher
Freedom Caregivers
Galion LLC A Juno Company
Hord Family Farms
iHeart Radio
Interstate Lab Group
MHS Industrial
Schmidt Security Pro
Vitro- The Glass Company
Job seekers need to complete a registration on the career fair’s website before starting to explore job opportunities at businesses’ virtual booths. They will also be able to chat through text with a company’s representative on the platform.
Knight said a job seeker would learn the nature of a company, the responsibilities of the openings and the next step to apply for those jobs. It would be an opportunity to share the resume and get some initial engagement with the employers.
Richland County’s unemployment rate has been declining after reaching a high of 20.3 percent in April 2020. According to Ohio Jobs and Family Services Department, the preliminary unemployment rate for December 2020 is 5.6 percent, close to the pre-pandemic level.
Crawford County has seen a similar change in the past year. The unemployment rate was 24 percent in April 2020 but fell to 5.4 percent in December.
Knight said there was some uncertainty for employers through the pandemic. They were not sure what their businesses would be like and how many people they could have at their buildings at a time. Some employees were uncomfortable being at the workplace. The combination of business uncertainty and work environment change caused the unemployment rate to climb.
But people have also learned all kinds of safety protocols over the past year to keep business going. Knight said Richland and contingent counties such as Crawford and Ashland Counties are trending in the right direction with the declining unemployment rate. People are getting back to work and many employers in Richland County are looking to hire.
“I think we’re going to continue to see that trend throughout the spring and summer,” he said.
And that is why a virtual career fair is needed now. Knight said the event will make job seekers aware of what is available. They can get back to the area they are interested in or gain new skills for a different opportunity.
