The event will begin at 11 a.m. and last until 2 p.m.
“In looking at the data, the unemployment rate for the age group 16 to 19 has hovered pretty steadily around 10 percent which is obviously higher than we’d like to be,” she said. “So we’ve identified this age group as one that may need more assistance in terms of locating employment. And so really our goal is to set something up for them specifically and whether they are a high school graduate or a college graduate, really work on getting them into the workforce and finding out how we can help them.”
Hamby said in 2021, unemployment for the age group was at 10.8% and the rate this year was at 10.2%. Earlier this year, federal labor data showed that Ohio’s unemployment rate was at 4.2%
There will be plenty of opportunities at the job fair for young adults looking for summer jobs or full-time careers, Hamby said.
“On top of that, we have training providers there so if there are people looking to totally change career paths, there will be training providers for various upskilling opportunities,” she said.
She also said that there will be people there who can help someone who wants to get into a field or industry but doesn’t know where to start. As of Monday, there were 54 employers or training providers registered to take part in the job fair. She said there is interest in the local business community for hiring young people.
“There are companies that are looking for talent and who is going to stay with them in the long run and what better opportunity than to catch these job seekers when they are young,” Hamby said.
Local companies are looking to hire young people, said Joan Schiml, chief development officer at Daybreak. Daybreak is an emergency shelter for local youth without homes but also offers services to young people like training them to get jobs.
“We don’t really have trouble finding employers to hire our youth,” Schiml said.
She said some young people have transportation challenges, so putting employers all in one place can be helpful for them finding a job.
Along with the job fair Wednesday, Hamby said the Montgomery County Job Center is always there to help people looking for employment. The center, at 1111 S. Edwin C. Moses in Dayton, provides services and assistance like training and resume review.
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