FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – More than 800 job openings at Rep. Jim Banks Job Fair Wednesday afternoon, and over 70 employers in attendance speaking with potential new hires. AS of June 2023, Fort Wayne metro has seen a bump in both employed and unemployed workers compared to a year ago.

According to recent data released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development the Fort Wayne metro’s labor force consisted of – Allen, Wells, and Whitley counties, grew by almost 2,600 people. That’s from June 2022 to June 2023 with nearly 2,000 additional people.

WANE 15 spoke with a few of the employers at the job fair Wednesday about how the hiring process has been this year and what they look for in a candidate.

“So far this year we have been doing very well, we have been able to staff up pretty fully with extra growth that means more opportunities,” said Jeoff Haertle, C&A talent acquisition specialist. “Ideally somebody with experience with C&A but we will train, we are looking for somebody that is looking to get into the industry and want to absorb as much as possible.”

“Somebody who is caring, somebody who wants to give great care, be able to drive them around if possible be a good companion to them,” Melody Hall care supervisor, ‘Help at Home’ said.

Other employers at the job fair included government, finance, retail and transportation.