Category: Employment

Virtual job fair planned Wednesday

A virtual job fair is planned Wednesday, April 20, by the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Job seekers will have the opportunity to learn about job openings at the Commerce Department at the job fair, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 20.

Job seekers will be able to chat with Commerce managers and the human resource team members. Job seekers also may participate in the virtual job fair through a computer, smart phone or tablet. Job candidates will be able to upload their resumes to a virtual job fair account prior to the event.

“The team at Kansas Commerce is changing the economic landscape in Kansas – companies are relocating to our state and expanding existing operations every day, bringing with them with high-paying jobs and new opportunities for Kansans,” Lt. Governor and Secretary David Toland said. “Our state continues to accumulate nationwide awards and accolades, and we want you to join us here at the best economic development agency in the country.”

Numerous statewide virtual job fairs have been presented since the pandemic began and are a safe way to successfully connect Kansas job seekers and employers, according to a spokesman.

The April 20 job fair will seek to fill the following open positions at Commerce: program manager for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program; communications coordinator for the Marketing-Communications Division; deputy counsel for the Legal Division; community development specialist; and director of advanced technology in the Office of Innovation.


To register for the virtual job fair, visit https://app.premiervirtual.com/events/b22ab809-af5c-47a2-8dae-fe7a34a454fb/clone-kansas-dept-of-commerce-kansasworks-job-fair-april-20,-2022

Those who need assistance in creating a resume may contact their local workforce center at 877-509-6757.

KCKCC to hold Career Fair Thursday

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC public information manager

Looking for a new career? Want to learn more about the job opportunities available in Wyandotte County? Interested in gaining new skills to find your dream job? Then make plans to attend the KCKCC HireBlue Technical-Industrial Career Fair.

The fair is from 9 to 11 a.m. April 7 at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. in Kansas City Kansas. The career fair is open to all current KCKCC students, alumni and community members.

“We encourage students and community members to come join us and network with a wide variety of professionals to learn more about their job openings, benefits and application processes. For those who are still exploring, you can learn what possible educational paths are required for your dream job,” said Ana Lima, career services coordinator at KCKCC. “Participants can also learn about the financial aid and scholarships we offer here at KCKCC.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring an updated resume and dress professionally. They will have the opportunity to complete job applications, and in some instances, interview for jobs with companies at the career fair.

Employers attending the career fair include UPS, Cerner, Worlds of Fun, Unified Government WYCO, Sporting Kansas City, WaterOne, NorthStar Group, SPX Cooling Technologies, Chipotle, FedEx Ground, Husqvarna Construction Products, KDR Groups, Unified Government AmeriCorps VISTA Program, AdventHealth, Great Wolf Lodge, Garmin, Pinnacle, Labconco, Anthony Plumbing Heating Cooling and Electric, Seasonal Solutions, Tyson Food Inc., J.C. Penney Lenexa, Flowers Baking Co. of Lenexa, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Robert Half Talent Solutions, Merck Animal Health, Tension Corporation, Carpenter’s Union, Empire Candle Co., Nebraska Furniture Mart, Christian Brothers Automotive, Stericycle, Emergency Communications Center – KCKPD, Berry Companies, Inc. Great Clips, Full Service Chimney, American Dish Service, Young Sign Company, YESCO, Stryten Energy, KC Restoration, Jay Wolfe Acura, Engineered Air, Herzig Engineering, Baker Group, Johnson County, LBA Heating & Cooling, Swope Corridor Renaissance/Upper Room Inc., Sanford Health and Good Samaritan Society, Assisted Transportation, Olathe Health, HCA Healthcare, Chicken N’Pickle, Kansas Air National Guard and Workforce Partnership.

Kansas unemployment rate slides to 2.6%, lowest rate in more than a decade

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The Kansas unemployment rate declined in January to 2.6%, federal and state agencies said Friday, to the lowest level in more than a decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic hijacked the nation’s economy in April 2020 to drive the jobless rate in Kansas to an astonishing 12.2%. It was above 5% for six months, before sliding to 4.7% by October 2020. The gradual decline placed the figure at 3.8% by January 2021 and 2.9% in October 2021.

In the latest report from the Kansas Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s unemployment rate hit 2.6% in January. There were 39,000 Kansans without a job last month, a sharp decline from 56,000 unemployed in January 2021.

“Kansas started 2022 with strong job growth, with estimates showing 8,500 jobs added in January,” said Amber Shultz, secretary at the state Department of Labor.

In the pre-pandemic period of the Kelly administration, the unemployment rate in Kansas was stuck at 3.1% for 13 consecutive months. It has now been below 3.1% in each of the five months from September to January.

Kelly’s predecessor, Gov. Jeff Colyer, led the state for one year while the unemployment rate ranged from 3.2% to 3.4%. He replaced Gov. Sam Brownback, who resigned to work for President Donald Trump.

Brownback was elected in a post-recessionary period with a January 2011 unemployment rate of 6.8%. Under his leadership, the rate progressively declined to 3.5%.

Emilie Doerksen, an economist at the state Department of Labor, said the January report indicated the state’s unemployment rate continued a downward trend to territory below pre-pandemic levels in part because the labor force participation rate had dropped in Kansas. The workforce stood at 1.5 million in January 2020, but was at 1.49 million in December.

In the report for January, Kansas nonfarm payroll employment climbed by 8,500 from December. The private-sector job figure increased by 5,100 over the month as government employment went up by 3,400.

Since January 2021, Kansas seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs increased by 17,100. This change is due to an increase of 16,200 private sector jobs and an increase of 900 government jobs.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-unemployment-rate-slides-to-2-6-lowest-rate-in-more-than-a-decade/