The Wright City Chamber of Commerce and city government are taking action to help employers who are struggling to find new hires.
The organizations are partnering to host a job fair on June 2 at …
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The Wright City Chamber of Commerce and city government are taking action to help employers who are struggling to find new hires.
The organizations are partnering to host a job fair on June 2 at Diekroeger Park. Any business located within Warren County is invited to register for the event, which will take place from 1-6:30 p.m.
“We had a lot of businesses expressing that they were really struggling with staffing. Ruiz (Castillo) is closed on Mondays now for the first time in 30 years because they don’t have enough people,” explained Ward 1 Alderman Michelle Heiliger. “This event will be free for any business who wants to come and set up a table.”
Also on board with the job fair is the Missouri Job Center out of Warrenton. Staff will be available to help job seekers write or edit their resumes. Electronics refurbisher EPC will also bring computers so that people can fill out online applications on the spot, Heiliger said. That will be particularly helpful for job seekers who don’t have internet access.
“Plus those same organizations are probably going to come because they’re looking for people,” Heiliger added. “And I know the city is looking for people, so we can set up a table as well.”
Because the event is a partnership between the city government and the Chamber, the city is waiving its usual fee for use of the park.
The job fair is exclusive to businesses located within Warren County. Any business that wants participate is asked to register online by Friday, May 21 to be listed on a promotional flyer. The registration website is https://bit.ly/3bqtAdM.
Job candidates attending the job fair are asked to come professionally dressed and have copies of their resume on-hand.
Wright City Chamber President Kim Arbuthnot said the Chamber is motivated by a recent discussion on the needs of local industrial and manufacturing partners.
“What we took away from that meeting was the employment need for these businesses,” Arbuthnot commented. Several restaurants also discussed their employment struggle with Arbuthnot while participating in the First Friday festival on May 7.
“Alderman Ramiz Hakim, Alderman Michelle Heiliger and myself began a conversation on what we could do to help address this issue. The solution was simple: We wanted to come together to offer a job fair for anyone in Warren County that was in need of hiring or those looking for employment,” Arbuthnot commented.
The struggle to fill open job positions isn’t limited to Wright City or Warren County. Businesses statewide have complained of difficulty finding workers during the COVID recovery. That prompted Gov. Mike Parson to announce last week that additional unemployment benefits related to the pandemic will be ended by mid-June.
Wright City aldermen are predicting that with reduced benefits looming, more candidates will be motivated to attend the job fair to connect with a new employer.
