Many businesses are still reeling from COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions. But the overwhelming success of recent hiring events in Pierce County indicates some sectors are ramping up.

WorkForce Central held the first HIRE Pierce County event March 17. The virtual job fair offered hundreds of hiring opportunities with employers from health care, finance, manufacturing, security, law enforcement and trades. Ten key Pierce County employers representing more than 400 job opportunities participated.

“It was an important win for our Business Solutions team and employers,” said Katie Condit, WorkForce Central Chief Executive Officer. “We saw greater engagement than most of our workforce colleagues are seeing in Washington for these virtual employment events.”

Over the last several months, WorkForce Central and their WorkSource partners have provided recruitment strategies in addition to the HIRE Pierce County event. The Business Solutions team made 14 individualized placements with 13 companies (primarily small business), supported 7 employers with individual hiring events, and collaborated on 6 Career Boost sessions on behalf of employers needing health care, law enforcement/corrections and pharmacy workers. Several employers report great results. The Korean Women’s Association roughly cut in half their need for more than 100 home health care aides; Aero Precision added 52 workers in the last month; and Sterile Surgical Systems hired 17 workers in the last two weeks to support their relocation to Tacoma.

The State of Washington Employment Security Department, WorkForce Central’s state oversight entity, recently recognized the organization’s higher than anticipated performance in service to adults and dislocated workers. They also cited WorkForce Central’s innovative efforts to grow the Pierce County common referral system through South Sound 211. The United Way of Pierce County service connects individuals and families with programs and services to help them navigate through barriers that are preventing them from becoming self-sufficient.

WorkForce Central, in partnership with the Employment Security Department’s Business Services, team has held several other hiring events over the last couple months across industries, with a big focus on filling manufacturing positions. Two major Pierce County employers, Frontier Door & Cabinet and Niagara Bottling, also held large virtual hiring events last month.