Visit Raleigh is hosting the first annual Wake County Restaurant and Hotel Job Fair Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center.
The job fair is free to the public and designed to fill more than 3,500 full and part time positions in Wake County. The fair has almost 80 vendors attending.
Dennis Edwards, the president and CEO of Visit Raleigh, said the tourism industry in Wake County has expanded and employers need help finding workers to fill their vacancies.
“There’s always a demand for jobs, and one of the major concerns we keep hearing from our hotels and restaurants is workforce,” he said. “It seems like a win-win all the way around. We’re seeing an average of 800 new jobs a year just in the tourism sector in Wake County alone, so there’s definitely a lot of opportunity here."
Edwards said college and high school students could benefit from the job fair’s openings.
“I think we’ll see a combination of both types of college students: those who recently graduated who are looking for full time employment — there are some managerial positions that will be available — all the way to those who are looking for part-time work over the summer,” he said. “There will be opportunities for any college student, whether they’re looking for part time or full time work.”
Visit Raleigh said in a statement tourism is a $2.4 billion industry in Wake County, the highest it has ever been.
Edwards said many of the industry’s vacancies are due to part-time job turnover because entry level positions are much more sensitive to wage changes.
In the statement, Visit Raleigh said the job fair can assist a wide range of interested workers.