The National City Chamber of Commerce is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 20 at the National City campus of Southwestern College with somewhere between 50 and 75 employers expected to be there for the event.
In addition to serving as a one-stop shop for job seekers in National City, plans for the event provide some insight into the current job market.
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chad Matkowski said many service industries are still struggling to hire new employees but trends show National City job applicants are seeking high paid trade or skilled labor positions.
Employers in the fields of transportation, healthcare, retail, hospitality and the maritime industry are expected to be at the event as well as some companies like Austal and Wyred that show signs of job growth and, Matkowski said, potential for many high paying jobs opening up in the city within the next year.
“It would benefit employers to include training plans or show clear pathways to move up within each company. One of the biggest takeaways we saw with the ‘great resignation’ is employees are looking at how to further their careers,” Matkowski said.
Back in October 2021, Chamber organizers decided against holding their bi-annual job fair. Instead, they focused on helping restaurants and retail services simply find applicants for their jobs by gathering resumes and creating a local applicant pool, a decision born from recognizing business owners were struggling to keep staffed.
That situation is changing.
“National City has vastly improved since the pandemic. I believe unemployment is currently at six percent where we were at about 11.5% this same time last year. The long term average in National city is 9.5% so unemployment is clearly improving,” Matkowski said.
However, even though economic indicators like unemployment levels suggest the economy is back on track, the reality, Matkowski said, is many business owners have not caught up from losses acquired throughout the pandemic and are still recuperating financially.
Rather than collecting resumes, organizers will be hosting videos and promoting available jobs for a couple weeks after the job fair in an effort to amplify the call for employees and build connections beyond the one day event.
Companies who have participated in past Chamber job fairs include a wide range of industries and work locations from La Mesa to La Jolla, from the field of finance to the Port of San Diego.
Applicants are advised to bring plenty of resumes. A technology center will be available at the job fair where applicants can upload resumes and complete online job applications.
A $50,000 grant recently awarded to the Chamber is going in part to support the job fair but also to develop “projects to help promote and assist industries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Matkowski said and they will continue to host and promote any National City jobs for free over the next year.
The Chamber also received a grant to give out 100 free websites to small businesses and startups, and plan to help develop website content and cover the costs for hosting the sites online.
Additionally, they are hosting a Women in Business and Leadership conference on May 19, specifically created to provide women entrepreneurs and business owners an opportunity to network with other women business owners.
Visit www.nationalcitychamber.org for more information or register for the event at www.nationalcityjobs.org
