Keep Dec. 28 in mind if you need a job
| • | Holiday Tech Fair participants |
By John Duchemin
Advertiser Staff Writer
Last year when the Hawai'i economy was in good shape, a high-tech job fair in late December drew hundreds of job-seekers.
This year, with the economy in lousy shape, organizers of the job fair hope the Dec. 28 event will attract even more attention.
The state-sponsored, second annual Holiday Tech Fair at the Hawai'i Convention Center will feature more than 20 companies, many with dozens of job openings. The free public event will start at 4:30 p.m.
As with last year's event, the fair is targeted toward Hawai'i high school graduates who are home for the holidays. Many of the employers are software, telecommunications or research firms seeking specialized applicants for high-paying jobs. Military contractor Science and Technology International, for example, is looking to hire between 20 and 30 people, company spokeswoman Linda Jameson said.
The job fair comes at a time when the state has lost thousands of jobs since Sept. 11. More than 18,000 Hawai'i residents have filed applications for unemployment benefits in the past three months.
The tech sector has also had its difficulties — companies including Adtech, Pihana Pacific and the now-defunct Ohana Foundation have fired or laid off dozens of workers. But several local companies including Viata and HotU have received small-scale venture investments this fall, and others have benefited from increased government spending on military-related research.
The Holiday Tech Fair's organizers include the High Technology Development Corp., several private companies and Punahou, Iolani and Kamehameha schools.
Holiday Tech Fair participants
Adecco
Adtech
Computer Training Academy
Data House
Get2Hawaii
Hawaii Biotechnology Group
Hawaii Crop Improvement Association
HotU Inc.
Konami
Manpower Professional
Maui High Performance Computing Center
NetEnterprise
NovaSol
Oceanit
Orincon Hawaii
Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training
Select Staffing
Sprint Hawaii
STI
TeraBiz
Wheat International Communications
Xerox Hawaii
