By Mitchell Kirk
HANCOCK COUNTY — With large groups of people gathering indoors to shake hands, pass out resumes and speak face to face, job fairs haven’t been a realistic possibility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are companies in need of workers to do in a county whose unemployment rate is almost twice what it was last year?
Go the route that’s been so prevalent for seven months now — hold a virtual event.
Attendees of an upcoming job fair organized by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, WorkOne Central and the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce will be able to learn about employment opportunities at five businesses in Hancock County from the comfort of their homes.
Amazon, BWI Group, Carvana, Spectra Premium and Yamaha Marine Propeller are participating in the event, which is at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. All of the companies except for Spectra Premium have come to Hancock County within the last two years.
Those interested in attending the virtual job fair can register at attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3085779793356631567.
Retta Livengood, president of the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said when attendees log on to the virtual job fair, participating business representatives will give presentations during which they’ll talk about their companies, the jobs they have openings for and benefits. At the end of each presentation will be directions on how to schedule an interview, who to email resumes to and similar tasks.
“In less than a half-hour they’re going to learn about hundreds of jobs that are available right here in our community,” Livengood said.
Lance Ratliff, executive director of the WorkOne Indiana Region 5 Workforce Development Board, said company representatives will also talk about skill requirements associated with job openings, pay and schedules. Attendees will be able to submit questions that will be able to be answered or followed up on.
Ratliff said WorkOne has been a part of virtual job fairs in Hendricks and Johnson counties as well.
“They seem to be well-received by the employers who participate as well as the job seekers,” he said.
Livengood said the chamber jumped at WorkOne’s request to partner on the event.
“Certainly we’re all about trying to help people find jobs,” she said. “It just seemed like such an awesome opportunity.”
BWI Group, a chassis supplier that designs and manufactures automotive brake and suspension systems, opened its 276,514-square foot facility in Greenfield last year. The plant had to temporarily lay off more than 300 workers earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but plant manager Peter Spratt said it’s now back up to three shifts.
More than 150 workers there are contracted from employment agencies, Spratt said, adding the company would like to hire directly and reduce its contract workers down to 50 or 20 if possible by the end of the year.
Manufacturing work at the plant is very clean and not very noisy, Spratt continued, adding it’s fast-paced and doesn’t come with a lot of forklift traffic.
“I’m very excited that we’re going to be a part of that and hopefully hire some people in the community,” he said of the job fair.
Carvana opened its 130,000-square-foot facility for inspecting, reconditioning, photographing and storing vehicles off I-70 and Mt. Comfort Road in early 2019 and announced expansion plans less than a year later. The company sells used vehicles online to customers who can get their purchases delivered or pick them up at one of the large Carvana “vending machines” across the country.
Veronica Cardenas, a Carvana spokewoman, told the Daily Reporter in an email that the company is hiring for about 100 positions spanning entry-level inventory associates, automotive technicians and autobody and paint technicians.
Amazon put out a call last month for more than 800 workers at the new 615,000-square foot building that started housing its new fulfillment center in western Hancock County on Oct. 18. Openings include receiving inventory, picking and shipping customer orders, and supporting network logistics.
Yamaha Marine Propeller has a new 54,000-square foot building in Greenfield. Spectra Premium has operated a warehouse in western Hancock County since 2013.
Livengood said while the chamber has never done a virtual job fair before, she hopes it goes well and that more can be done in the future.
Unemployment in Hancock County continues to improve following the spike at the start of the pandemic, but data indicates thousands of residents continue to look for work. The county’s September 2020 rate is 4.7%, which represents 1,882 people seeking jobs, according to the latest figures released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development on Wednesday, Oct. 21. In September 2019, the county’s rate was 2.5%. Unemployment in the county has been decreasing steadily since April, when the pandemic caused the rate to jump to 14.2%.
