Job fair attracts few as employers struggle to hire in Fort Myers

Only a handful of people showed up to a job fair on Tuesday where employers were hoping to hire 200 workers.

Employers are rolling out the red carpet to get people to show up, but it doesn’t always work; they call hiring these days “a nightmare.”

“It’s frustrating,” said Doug Alexander, a sales manager at InReach Storage. “I’m a little disappointed that more people aren’t showing up.”

Stephanie Sims, director for Florida Job Link, said the number of people that attended is probably a third of what they normally see.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office traveled here to look for recruits, the market is too competitive to only look locally.

“It’s a competition,” said Deputy Rudy Bueno, with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. “We’re competing against other organizations. So we need to branch out and attract those people, maybe from the outside that are looking for employment.”

If you’re out of a job, you may be one of the lucky ones. Treasure hunter Ray Deal had no trouble looking for a side gig.

“There’s at least two potential job offers here. For me, it’s a good time to be a job seeker in Florida,” Deal said.

But even those looking admit their options are not perfect.

“The brand, the gasoline, the food. Everything is so expensive now. And as I said, The salary is not keeping up with all the costs of living here,” said Alx Jomes.

Bottom line: Potential employees can afford to be choosey; benefits and a 401K are not enough anymore.