Workforce Development Division Virtual Hiring Events Model

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

One of the primary ways that the Maricopa County, Arizona, Workforce Development Division (WDD) Business Services Team assists businesses is to connect them with interested candidates via hiring events and job fairs. Traditionally, this is done in-person, with as few as one or as many as 50 or more businesses in an appropriate-sized room meeting with multiple job seekers. With the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020; however, large in-person events are no longer viable. At the same time, the paradox of the economic fallout of the pandemic is that while the Arizona unemployment rate is still almost twice what it was pre-pandemic, there are thousands of open job positions that remain unfilled because there are more job openings than there are candidates seeking employment. Maricopa County businesses are seeking opportunities to meet interested candidates in a way that is safe and responsible for both the business and residents. To meet this need, the WDD Business Services Team rolled out several different models of Virtual Hiring Events and Job Fairs, using video conferencing technology, allowing businesses and candidates to meet online without the need to gather together in the same physical location.