More than 1,500 attend Lethbridge job fair amid tariff concerns

About 1,500 job seekers, eager to find their next opportunities, hit up the annual Teamworks Job Fair in Lethbridge Wednesday.

Seventy-five different employers were set up at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre for the annual Teamworks Career Fair.

The fair featured jobs in a variety of fields, including construction, manufacturing, accounting and more.

“We have over 1,500 job seekers. … (Our) goal is to connect local job seekers with local employers and get people employed,” said Barb Wolstoncroft, manager at the Teamworks Career Centre.

Despite the rise of online job applications and hiring, employers still see the benefit of job fairs.

Recruiters appreciate being able to meet applicants face to face and really get to know them.

“We absolutely love coming out to job fairs. It’s really good to get out in the community and … depending on different points of the year, different things are happening in the labour market,” said Hailly McCallum, Nortera human resources manager.

While there were plenty of jobs available, the impact of tariffs was looming large.

Lethbridge is expected to be hit harder by prolonged tariffs than most cities.

But it’s still too early to tell what that impact will look like.

“We are concerned about those tariffs and the effect on the local community and our local employers. But we are working tremendously hard to help still connect employers with those job seekers because there’s still work to be done,” Wolstoncroft said.

Despite the uncertainty, job seekers were still feeling hopeful.

The number and variety of employers had many feeling optimistic they could land a job.

“Right now, my biggest concern is just providing for my family however I can,” said Gita Kaura, who was at the fair looking for a job.

Teamworks hosts the job fair annually but can help connect job seekers to employers year-round.