HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Hundreds of job seekers had the opportunity to meet several Connecticut employers at the first annual Veterans & Diversity Hiring Expo on Tuesday.
Next to the stands of Dillon Stadium in Hartford, 58 employers had set up tables with pamphlets, free take-home items, and sheets of paper filled with information.
More than 300 people registered to attend the hiring fair which was made possible through a collaboration between the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) and the Hartford Athletic Team.
The Expo aims to support the growth and recovery of Connecticut's economy by encouraging a diverse workforce, CTDOL Interim Commissioner Dante Bartolomeo said.
"Veterans, women, people of color and people living with disabilities," Bartolomeo said, "These are the residents that were hit hardest during the pandemic."
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin echoed the sentiment, saying that it's critical for unemployed residents to find a job to help support their families, particularly those who struggled the most last year.
The Expo also helps businesses that are also struggling to find employees, Bronin said.
It's a chance, he said, "for those businesses, big and small, that have just been through one of the most challenging times for business in the history of the United States, to be able to scale back up, rehire, expand if they've got the opportunity to expand and, in doing that, create opportunity for Connecticut residents."
Governor Ned Lamont applauded all those that helped put the Expo together after remarking how he's been scrambling to find out what it takes to get people working again.
First, efforts were made to ensure a safe workplace environment. Then, the state helped develop workforce skill-building opportunities through state colleges and universities. Now, outreach efforts like the Expo are helping build career-related connections, he said.
Lamont also stressed that pandemic unemployment benefits have expired, Connecticut's minimum wage has gone up and kids have returned to school.
"This is an ideal time to be looking for work. You're earning more. We've expanded the earn income tax credit. You're keeping more of what you earn and, by the way, we really need you back at work," Lamont said.