100+jobseekers seek to fill 200+ positions in hospitality, retail and more at job fair
Marlborough, MASS. October 18, 2019 – More than 100 jobseekers from across the region descended upon Marlborough’s largest semi-annual city-wide job fair, held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center last night.
Now in its eighth year, the fall edition of the Marlborough Works Job Fair featured more than 200 entry-level and mid-level job openings at 22 local companies, including five of the city’s 11 hotels, three restaurants, various recreation and entertainment venues, retailers, manufacturers, IT and science firms and more. Local employers included Quest Diagnostics, MindTrek VR, Target, Invoice Cloud, HelixBind, and Dav-Tech Plating.
Organized by the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as part of Mayor Arthur Vigeant’s ongoing efforts to increase local employment, the job fair gave jobseekers the opportunity to meet face to face with local employers. Attendees also had a chance to take part in one of three free Interview Workshops, run by MassHire Framingham Career Center, where they learned interview skills and tips on how to sell themselves to a potential employer.
With Marlborough’s unemployment rate sitting at just 2.5% for July and August, only about 25% of jobseekers who attended the event came from within the city. The remaining 75% of attendees came from out of town, with the highest numbers hailing from Worcester, Framingham and Northborough.
Marlborough’s employment market has grown exponentially over the past eight years, with over 150 new companies adding some 7,000 jobs to the city’s economy. Marlborough’s unemployment rate has fallen by 54% over the same period, gradually declining from 5.4% in 2012. Last year alone, more than 20 companies expanded in or moved to Marlborough, adding over 350 new jobs to the local labor market.
With a number of Marlborough residents working outside the city, last month, MEDC launched a free shuttle bus to and from the Southborough MBTA rail station to help make their commute smoother. In addition, this effort is also helping make it easier for employees from outside of Marlborough to travel to and work in the city.
“We’ve been very happy to see a consistent decrease in local unemployment over the past few years, which has, no doubt, been affected by the addition of thousands of new jobs to the local labor market,” said MEDC executive director, Meredith Harris. “And we will continue to work towards connecting our local residents with local employers until every last Marlborough resident that wants to work in Marlborough has that opportunity.”
“When we started this job fair, we would get 450-500 people here,” said Mayor Arthur Vigeant. “Now, with the unemployment rate inching down towards two percent, it’s tough to even get half of that. But our goal is to really help our local companies find the right people and we’re happy to see that talent from across the region is coming to these events.”
To see images from the Marlborough Works Job Fair and Interview Workshops, go to http://www.marlboroughedc.com/jobfair/.
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About MEDC:
The Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is the state chartered economic development corporation for the City of Marlborough, MA and represents a public-private partnership for planning. MEDC works with municipal and private investors to foster economic development, job growth and community revitalization. For a complete overview of MEDC, visit MarlboroughEDC.com.
For press inquiries, contact:
Lora Markova
Communications Director, MEDC
press@marlboroughedc.com
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