Twenty local employers will be on hand to meet with job seekers Thursday when the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber of Commerce hosts its first-ever "Mini Job Fair" in partnership with CareerSource Flagler-Volusia.
Here are things you should know if you plan to attend:
Where/when is it?
The hiring event will be Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. at the chamber offices at Riverside Pavilion, 3431 S. Ridgewood Ave. in Port Orange.
Why host it when unemployment is so low?
The unemployment rate for Volusia County stood at 3.3% in July, hovering slightly above the all-time low 2.1% rate recorded in March 2005, according to historical data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
But the unemployment numbers don't tell the full story, said Christine Sikora, vice president of innovative solutions at CareerSource Flagler-Volusia, the regional workforce development agency.
"Those working two jobs to make ends meet don't show up in the unemployment numbers because technically they are employed even though they might prefer to have just one job that pays better," said Sikora.
Robin King, the CEO at CareerSource Flagler-Volusia, said in addition to job openings, attendees can learn about available apprenticeships in various construction trades. "CareerSourceFV supports our chambers of commerce help our business community recruit, retain and develop a skilled workforce," she said. "I believe that creating a variety of methods of awareness of the opportunities (such as the chamber's job fair) is key to recruiting individuals into the workforce."
Many employers are still struggling to fill jobs
Barbara Ann Heegan, who started her new job as CEO of the chamber in May, came up with the idea to hold the job fair after meeting local employers struggling to fill open positions.
One such employer is the ByLight Professional IT Services plant in Port Orange.
The plant was previously known as Raydon Corp., a maker of virtual reality training simulators for the U.S. military.
"We have an immediate need to hire 80 to 88 people," said Cory McAndrew, the plant's general manager. The plant currently employs 84 workers. "We're looking to fill positions ranging from entry-level assembly line workers to experienced engineers and engineering managers."
The pay range for the jobs ByLight is hiring for goes from $20 an hour all the way up to $54 an hour, said McAndrew, who will be taking part in Thursday's hiring event.
Who else will be at the job fair?
Some of the other employers that have signed up include the cities of Port Orange, South Daytona and Daytona Beach Shores, Volusia County Schools, Halifax Health, All Aboard Storage, Thompson Pump, the UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union and the Electrical Training Alliance of Daytona Beach.