Hiring employees in Highlands can be difficult in the best of conditions.
When the labor market is tight, the task of finding the right people to fill the right positions can be downright maddening.
With that problem in mind, the NC Works Career Center serving Macon County has come up with a new way to potentially bring employers and job seekers together. A “Job Walk in the Park” career fair is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.
Potential employees will be directed to the teal NC Works tent at the end of the park and furnished with a directional map detailing each of the employers in attendance. Among the employers slated to take part in the job fair are: The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, The Business Spot, Cullasaja Club, Bartlett Tree Service, Chestnut Hill, Town and Country General Store, Kilwin’s, Old Edwards Inn, Long Transfer, J & J Lawn, Blue Ridge Irrigation, Carpe Diem Farms, Fresser’s, Julep Farm, Reeves Hardware/Summer House, Tate Landscaping and The Bridge at Mill Creek.
Job seekers should bring an updated resume and dress business casual.
Over the past year the labor market has seen wild swings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NC Department of Commerce, Macon County’s unemployment rate sank to 3.5 percent in January 2020 pre-COVID-19. The unemployment rate boomed to 11.3 percent in May of 2020, but has since steadily declined back to 5.2 percent in January 2021.
Highlands presents its own set of challenges for employers looking to add help – namely the lack of affordable housing for hourly workers and the subsequent commute from outside communities like Franklin, Walhalla, South Carolina, or Clayton, Georgia.
While it’s unlikely that a problem as large as overall employee housing will be fixed any time soon, it is important to recognize it as a hurdle on the path to growing Highlands’ economy. In the near term, lets hope employers and employees make a connection during the March 24 event and keep the wheels of commerce turning.
For more information about the “Job Walk in the Park” or any other services offered by the NC Works Career Center, call 828-369-9534.