North Texas held several multi-industry job fairs over the weekend, with companies in the healthcare sector leading the hiring charge.
Fort Worth ISD, Care2Fight Health & Wellness, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) all held hiring events this past Saturday. These job fairs were spurred by the increasing demand for first responders, healthcare workers, school nurses, bus operators, and police officers, among others.
Sonya Williams, a registered nurse with more than 30 years of experience, was one of the lucky job applicants to get hired over the weekend. Williams described the hiring process as exciting, fast, and smooth. She also expressed enthusiasm that her commute time would be cut down from an hour to only 15 minutes.
When it comes to hiring for healthcare positions and filling vacant positions at Fort Worth ISD, a multitude of challenges typically prevents the process from running smoothly, according to Yassmin Lee, executive director of talent acquisition and development for the Fort Worth school district.
Despite setbacks in the hiring process, the district plans to introduce a number of new job roles, with additional spots for nurses and professional health assistants, Lee explained to NBC DFW. “Our board feels strongly that every campus should have every type of position necessary in order for the operation to run smoothly,” she said.
A separate hiring event in Fort Worth geared towards first responders was held at the Tarrant County Resource Connection center on Saturday. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office was one of about 50 participating agencies looking to fill roughly 180 vacant positions.
According to Chief Deputy Officer Jennifer Gabbert, the Resource Connection center is presently hiring detention officers and sheriff’s deputies — including street officers, court officers, and judicial officers.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest first responder hiring event around this area,” Gabbert said. “In the first responder industry, you need somebody that really has a heart for serving.”
However, she noted, it is not always easy to find selfless individuals.
“That’s why you need special people,” she explained. “People who have the heart to serve. They care for the community.”
There is an overall greater focus on public sector jobs at the moment, said Laurie Larrea, president of Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas.
According to her, while all cities are in need of workers at the moment, this is particularly true of the healthcare sector.
She also noted a recent surge in the community service involvement of city services, including police, fire, and rescue services, which has also driven a huge need for workers.
