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The city of Fishers is trying to get more people hired as unemployment rises across the nation.
Fishers is compiling a list of businesses around the city in need of workers in the hopes that those displaced by the virus can continue to get an income and stimulate the local economy.
Jobs in Fishers are shrinking, along with those in the rest of the country, but the virus gave the city a bit of a shock after having seen its economy on the rise.
Fadness
“We’ve had unbelievably low unemployment rates in the city of Fishers, but obviously, we now have industries that are devastated currently,” Mayor Scott Fadness said. “Whether it’s the restaurant or hospitality industry, a lot of those service workers are currently out of jobs and we want to make sure we can tie them to other employment that’s available.”
Fishers plans to do that through an online spreadsheet they’re calling a “virtual job fair.” Places in need of workers can specify what type of business they are, how to contact them, and what exactly they’re looking for. This way, everything job seekers need is all in one place.
“We know that there are a lot of people being displaced during this difficult time from their employment, but at the same time, there are industries that are in dire need of employees to meet the needs,” Fadness said. “So we wanted to connect those two and we have a great relationship with our local business community, so we reached out to them and said ‘Who of you are looking to hire?’ and ‘Hopefully we can tie you to some people who are in need of jobs.’”
Out of the 17 places on the virtual job fair today, the majority of them are designated as food service, retail and grocery – the places you’d expect to still be open. But Mayor Fadness says there’s no limit to what jobs can go on there, especially as restrictions lift or tighten.
“During these difficult times, we’ve got to be innovative, we’ve got to be creative,” Fadness said. “We’ve got to adapt. We’ve got to move people around, move businesses around, and really try to meet the needs of a very changing, very fluid dynamic, so that’s what we’re doing right now.”
If you’re a business in need of workers, or an employee looking for work, you can access the virtual job fair at fishers.in.us/1142/Virtual-Job-Fair.