OLDSMAR, Fla. — Right now, there are approximately 9.8 million unemployed people in the United States. That’s significantly higher than back in February 2020 when 5.7 million Americans were unemployed.
There are jobs open but many businesses are having trouble filling their open positions.
That's why the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce decided to hold a job fair Saturday, in an effort to connect those who so desperately need employees, with those who want a job.
It helped people like Sarita Rivera-Frisch, a mother of two, who is currently unemployed after moving to the area to be closer to family.
"I'm excited because I may have gotten what I came here for. And that's a position in customer service," she said.
There are also people like Virgina Baker, who are looking to get back to full employment after the pandemic closed off her previous work.
"So, I previously worked in a nonprofit, my position was grant-funded, and we succeeded our grant goals. But unfortunately, because of COVID, we weren't able to get a third cycle for our funding. So, now I'm just working part-time at a job I've had," Baker said
But it wasn't just the unemployed itching to see those jobs filled. Businesses are eager to keep up with demand. Forty businesses were present at the job fair with around 527 jobs available.
Dori Daniel, owner of 'Your CBD Store Oldsmar,' was desperate to find new employees after failed attempts from online candidates.
"We are struggling, that is for sure. I got ghosted. The first time I've ever gotten ghosted before. I trained the girl, everything, and then she just didn't show up the next day," Daniel said. "No email, a phone call. I mean, I reached out to her several times, still nothing."
After more than a year of being encouraged to stay inside, the opportunity today to meet face-to-face made a big difference for those on the hunt for work.
"When you're submitting a resume online, you don't get that interaction. So, this is very exciting for me to find a new job," Rivera-Frisch said.
Baker also found potential opportunities, one she never would have landed on by just searching online.
"I talked with a construction company about a potential job, not something I would have thought about before, but I had a great conversation," she said. "I think I'm a problem solver. And so I think they have a problem that I can solve for them, which is not something just looking on their website and trying to find a job I would have ever known about."
At the end of the event, the 40 vendors there looking to hire new employees, walked away with two to six viable candidates to fill their open positions.
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