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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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Employers on quest to find good workers
Employers large and small will accept resumes and applications at the Job Quest job fair by
Success Advertising Hawaii on Tuesday.
Employment news isn't all that good lately, with discouraging words of massive work-force reductions in industries - including this one.
The national unemployment rate for August was 6.1 percent, the highest in nearly five years.
Hawaii's August jobless rate will be released tomorrow by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. It was at 3.9 percent in July, well below the national average.
Glimmers of sunshine can be found amid gloom, if one knows where to look.
The 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. Job Quest at Neal Blaisdell Center will have more than 180 exhibitors looking to hire, about the same as the January event.
As reported by the Star-Bulletin yesterday, the most recent report by Manpower Inc. found that of the 30 Hawaii employers surveyed, 10 percent plan to reduce their payrolls in the upcoming months, while 17 percent plan to hire.
Fewer tourism industry employers have registered for this Job Quest, but Success Advertising President Beth Busch notes retailers often use the event to hire for the holidays.
Glimmers can be intertwined with gloom, as seen in at least part of the restaurant industry.
The downturn slowing chain expansion and softening year-over-year sales also has meant slower turnover in an industry known for high turnover.
Industry publication Nation's Restaurant News yesterday cited a study showing that more than 65 percent of chains saw a decrease in turnover of hourly workers and a nearly 32 percent decrease in management turnover. More managers and workers are keeping their jobs, and chains are feeling less recruitment pressure, the magazine reported.
Average job-seeker attendance at the fairs is around 4,000, Busch said.
Of those who pre-register online, some have masters and doctoral degrees, "but those are in the minority," she said.
Of online registrations, most come from "admin and office clerks."
Most attendees are seeking entry-level to middle-management-type jobs.
The company's Work Force event each May is larger as companies hope to attract graduates. The 240 exhibitors last May set a record.
One job fair was moved from Blaisdell to the Hawaii Convention Center - something Busch hopes will never again be needed.
The event was moved because "17,000 people got laid off" after 9/11 and organizers brought in numerous services to help jobless attendees.
General admission is $3, but it is $1 for students, seniors and military personnel with valid ID.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
erika@starbulletin.com