Bemidji Chamber, Paul Bunyan Broadcasting Host Career Fair

According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Minnesota is currently undergoing a workforce labor shortage, which is why the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Paul Bunyan Broadcasting, organized a local career fair on Wednesday.

“All we’re hearing about is how people need employees, people need workers and there’s just a shortage out there, and so we thought a career fair might be a great opportunity to help the community,” explained Paul Bunyan Broadcasting Operations Manager Kev Jackson.

It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has made its mark on the workforce, which means events like these could benefit businesses looking to hire.

“It feels great to be able to gather back together again, to shake each others hands, to meet folks,” said Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Abby Randall. “It really feels like a re-birth of our business community, that things are getting back on track.”

A number of businesses gathered from a variety of fields ranging from healthcare and education to manufacturing, all looking to offer jobs to the community at large.

“Now is a great time, whether you are entering the workforce as a young person, or perhaps you’re looking for that post retirement job, we have a ton of options in our community to connect with local folks,” said Randall.

The career fair also offered information on Minnesota Social Security’s “Ticket to Work” program, as well as offering a resume tune-up from Bemidji State University’s Career Services.