TAMPA, Fla — Unemployment in Tampa Bay is still at an all-time high and job seekers are faced with an array of new challenges to finding work as the pandemic progresses.
"I would say we're probably at around 90,000 people who have registered for unemployment," said Daniel Schneckenburger , Director at CareerSource Tampa Bay.
According to CareerSource Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County unemployment numbers went from less than 3 percent in March of this year to now more than 14 percent.
"We know three quarters of the total unemployment are those folks in Hillsborough county that were all in the hospitality, retail, and tourism industry, and all the other industries who let people go are making up the difference." said Schneckenburger.
Knowing that the numbers are going up, non profit Tampa Bay Tech is working with CareerSource Tampa Bay, CareerSource Pinellas and Recruiter Networking Group of Tampa Bay (RNG) to host a virtual career expo that will directly connect job seekers with local companies that are actively hiring.
"Its completely interactive, job seekers will go through the process of getting signed up to create a profile so they can upload resumes, talk more about their skills, and they can make their profile as robust as they want," said Tampa Bay Tech Executive Director Jill St. Thomas.
"The member companies are registering for a virtual booth, and it looks like the same career booth you would see at a job fair in person where you can click the links for their open jobs, learn more about their culture, and talk one on one with a recruiter," St. Thomas continued.
Tampa Bay Tech is a non-profit technology council known for engaging and uniting the local technology community through memberships and partnerships for nearly 20 years.
The virtual career expo is free to those who register and will offer live chats, and informative webinars. The expo currently has 20 companies signed up to seek out and hire new talent through the virtual experience. Some of the registered companies include CITI, FIS Global, Foot Locker, Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, and JP Morgan Chase to name a few.
"I hope that people leave the virtual career expo feeling like they made meaningful connections. We want to make sure that we get people who are out of work aligned with their next opportunity," said St. Thomas.
To register or learn more about the Virtual Career Expo click here.
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