ABOUT THIS COLUMN
Looking for a job? Every Sunday, we’ll report on new job opportunities in the community including companies hiring, how to apply, training programs and other economic trends that can affect your job search. Contact reporter Chelsey Levingston with suggestions at chelsey.levingston@coxinc.com. Also let us know if you land that job.
Cincinnati-based grocery store operator The Kroger Co. has hosted job fairs at stores in the company’s Cincinnati/Dayton division throughout the summer.
Most recently on Friday, a job fair was held at Kroger Marketplace in Liberty Twp. on Yankee Road. The store is looking for 30 positions in drug and general merchandising and front-end positions including cashiers and baggers, according to Kroger spokeswoman Rachael Betzler.
“We will continue to hire until the needs are filled,” Betzler said.
If you couldn't make it to Friday's in-store job fair, interested job seekers can apply online at www.kroger.com/careers.
Kroger employs approximately 20,000 workers at 109 stores in the Cincinnati-Dayton area, she said.
Butler County jobless rates down
Unemployment stayed below 5 percent in Butler County again in May, after falling in April to the lowest level since 2008.
Local jobless rates are at six-year lows of 4.8 percent in May, and 4.7 percent in April, according to preliminary, not-seasonally adjusted figures released June 24 by Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
A year ago, Butler County unemployment was 6.6 percent. Since May 2013, the amount of Butler County residents who are employed grew from 178,300 to 182,500 last month. Likewise, the number of unemployed sank over the last 12 months to 9,200 local residents in May searching for a job and unable to find one, according to state figures.
New Hamilton program matches job seekers with services
Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Hamilton Community Foundation are co-sponsoring a new program to help Hamilton-area job seekers know how to improve their skills to fill open positions.
“I hear that all the time from businesses still that their number one issue continues to be finding qualified workers,” Kenny Craig, president and chief executive officer of the Hamilton chamber, said. “They’re concerned about what’s going to happen in a couple years when their employees retire.”
Skills Central, as the newly-launched program is called, provides Hamilton-area adults one-on-one counseling and referral services to help them get the qualifications they need for in-demand jobs. Unemployed and underemployed job seekers will get more personalized attention than they may be able to get from other local agencies that also provide job hunting services, say program organizers.
Adults in Hamilton and surrounding areas including Trenton, and Fairfield, Hanover and Ross townships, can use Skills Central to get help to do the following:
• Identify career interests;
• Enroll in appropriate training and certificate-granting programs;
• Apply for any needed support services; and
• Connect with appropriate employers.
“Our job is to hold people’s hands,” Joel Fink, a Hamilton volunteer and the program coordinator for Skills Central, said.
“Some of the folks that may be in this program have been working for 20 or 30 years, have been downsized, have never had to navigate the world of higher education, are scared of how to do that,” Fink said.
If this sounds like a program that could help you find work, or find a better job, then contact coordinator Joel Fink at 513-863-0800, extension 33. You can also email him at skillscentral@fuse.net.
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