The National City Chamber of Commerce will host its first-ever virtual job fair today, taking its annual fair online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with hopes of addressing rising unemployment.
The Career to Pathways Success Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom and is free to attend.
The chamber of commerce says job seekers will have the chance to discuss employment opportunities with employers from health care services, biotech, retail, government agencies and other essential sectors.
Registration for the event closed Tuesday. Around 200 applicants have signed up for the event.
Job seekers were encouraged to prepare up-to-date resumes, research the companies and openings they're applying for and dress in professional attire while appearing from home.
"National City supports economic stability for our residents," said Councilmember Mona Rios, who has helped organize the annual job fair for the past 10 years. "Taking an innovative approach using technology tools is critical at this time to connect job seekers with employment opportunities."
The city says its unemployment rates have plummeted since the job fair's 2011 inception, but COVID-19 has generated a new need.
Local
According to a report released last week by the San Diego Association of Governments, South Bay communities are among the hardest-hit by COVID-19- related unemployment among San Diego County cities.
"Our goal is to stimulate the local economy by connecting National City and South County residents to jobs during this critical time. We continue to see unemployment figures rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to act now, to ensure the vitality of our communities,'' said Jacqueline Reynoso, president/CEO of the National City Chamber of Commerce and founder of the annual workforce development program.
