Job seekers flocked to the first JobQuest Job Fair of the year at the Blaisdell Center yesterday.

An estimated 5,300 attended this month's job fair, down from 5,800 in September and 6,500 in May.

Among job seekers, who included recent college graduates, the feeling was discernibly more upbeat this year compared to last year.

“;You don't feel the desperation in the air,”; said Beth Busch, president of Success Advertising Hawaii, which organizes the fairs. “;It's a much lighter mood.”;

Busch said many job seekers at the fair yesterday may just be looking for new opportunities, part of what she calls “;the January effect.”;

A total of 105 employers participated in this month's fair, down slightly from 125 in September, according to Busch.

Of those employers, 14 decided to sign up at the last minute, an indication that they are feeling positive about the economy, she said.

Participating employers this year came from the banking, finance, communications, nonprofit, education, government and health care sectors.

Retailers, who already staffed up for the holidays, tend to participate later in the year, Busch said.

The U.S. Census Bureau, which is hiring between 2,000 and 3,000 statewide, also conducted tests at the fair for interested applicants.

Hawaii's unemployment rate in November was recorded at 7 percent, relatively low when compared with the national rate of 10 percent. Still, Hawaii was one of four states to report job losses in November.

Dawn Chapman recently returned home to Honolulu from Phoenix, where she worked as an insurance claims adjuster.

The company closed its office there, but rather than transfer to the Midwest, she decided to return home.

Though she has a degree in social work, plus work experience, she said it was still a challenge to find a position in this economy. She was open to positions in customer service, nonprofits and health care.

    Locals spend day looking for work

 

 

 

[ Watch ]

 

Ike Miguel of Aiea, a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was looking for lab work, or any position in which he could get his foot in the door and get some experience.

Miguel, who has a bachelor's in biology, said it was more competitive finding a job today than a couple of years ago.

Among the firms hiring were ABC Stores, Hawaii Medical Institute, Covance, CDM Media, Easter Seals, Goodwill, Star of Honolulu and Wilson Homecare.

The City and County of Honolulu is still looking to fill 43 more positions for the rail transit project, primarily in the engineering and finance positions.

JobQuest also launched its first-ever Virtual Job Quest yesterday at 3 p.m., immediately after the fair. The online simulation at http://www.virtualjobquest.com allows job seekers to visit virtual booths in an exhibition hall similar to Blaisdell, submit resumes and interact with employers.