Over a Hundred Job Seekers Attend Job Fair

One hundred ten candidates seeking work descended on the hiring event held on Thursday, August 26 in the parking lot of Willow Springs City Hall. 13 employers were represented who were seeking to fill more than 300 local positions. 

Both organizers and employers were delighted with the event. In an economic environment where employers across all industries are struggling to fill positions, the turnout of willing workers at this event was “exciting,” said Chamber of Commerce secretary Phoebe Hendricks. The South Central Missouri Workforce Investment Board has been instrumental in organizing job fairs all over the area this summer. In July, they hosted a similar event in West Plains. 

“Both the events were successful,” said Donna Parrott, Executive Director of SCWIB. “Each town is different with different employment opportunities.”

In Willow Springs, the hiring event attracted job seekers from Mountain Grove, Raymondville, Cabool, and even several recent arrivals to the Willow Springs area. 

Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce President Kim Fredrick told Howell County News that the employers present were excited about the quality of applicants they met at the event. 

Parrot commented that the variety of jobs available was key to the event’s success. The employers represented were not “pigeonholed” to manufacturing, but instead job seekers had a chance to interact with employers offering positions in sales, teaching, food service, custodial work, and nursing. 

“There’s something for everyone, and that’s what we want these events to be,” Parrott said.