Job fair held in Scottsdale as employers look to fill vacancies amid labor shortage
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Scottsdale Fashion Center held a job fair on May 22, as Federal unemployment benefits are being rolled back.
That event ran throughout much of the afternoon, and the purpose to connect recruiters with potential employees in a time where workers are very much needed.
"If I hired a hundred people today I would still probably need 100 more," said Virginia Richardson, Lead Recruiter for Allied Universal Security.
The event is timely, since Governor Ducey has announced an end to the $300 supplemental payments for unemployed Arizonans, which will take effect on July 10. Those still unemployed at that time will only get $240 a week. In addition, Gov. Ducey is also offering a one-time bonus of $2,000 for returning workers.
"With the economy the way it is, we can get people back to work," said Richardson. "It's like every company in the same predicament, in that we’re in need of people."
Jobseekers speak out
Mary Lyn Dennis is one of the people looking for a job at the fair. She says she already has a job, but she's looking for a second one to bring in some more income.
"A lot of jobs around here, but all of them say most of the jobs here in Arizona are paying, like, $15-$16 an hour," said Dennis.
Another potential hire, Derrell Bryant, says he was laid off prior to the pandemic, when the company he worked for in New York shut down. He eventually took a job with Apple, but relocated to Phoenix to be with his ill mom.
"It wasn't an incentive. I just did not want to sit at home," said Bryant. "I would like to work."
Bryant said the job market is the Valley is much better than in New York, where finding a job amid the pandemic was tough.
"If anyone was looking for a job outside Arizona, I would tell them to come here," said Bryant. "They're hiring everywhere."
Bryant has already been offered jobs at seven different places.
"I didn’t think it was going to be this easy to find a job," said Bryant.
Many of these who attended the job fair walked away from the interviews with good job prospects, and are hopeful that it will help them to ultimately secure a good job.
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