Employers hiring at Springfield job events

Dozens of employers are slated to participate in two upcoming job events in Springfield.

The Missouri Job Center and Ozarks Technical Community College are slated to host events on July 23 and Aug. 5, respectively, according to news releases from the organizations.

Job Center spokesperson Katherine Trombetta said via email that employers such as Burrell Behavioral Health, Citizens Memorial Hospital and Jack Henry & Associates Inc. (Nasdaq: JKHY) collectively would be looking for "hundreds of jobs."

The event tomorrow at the Job Center, 2900 E. Sunshine St., is a drive-thru job fair, meaning potential employees would talk to employers through their car windows, Trombetta said. She said that since a June 24 drive-thru event, there have been 531 new jobs posted through its MoJobs service.

At OTC, employers including Arc of the Ozarks, Bass Pro Shops, CoxHealth and O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) are slated to be on hand seeking new employees.

Bass Pro spokesperson Jack Wlezien said the company has hundreds of jobs available in Springfield, including positions at its Outdoor World store, distribution center and call center. The company is hiring roughly 5,000 positions nationwide, he said.

"With many traditional summer activities canceled or severely restricted, we are seeing unprecedented interest in families returning to nature where they can safely practice social distancing in activities like fishing, hiking, camping and boating," Wlezien said via email.

Physical distancing and masking will be required at the outdoor OTC event, which replaces the college's previously scheduled job fair in April that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held at an OTC parking lot along National Avenue.

“With unemployment rates at an all-time high, job seekers need events like our annual job fair more than ever before,” said Lacey Busick, OTC career advisor, in the release. “By hosting these events outside with the space to physically distance, we can offer that same help but in a safe and responsible way.”