One day after Amazon’s wage announcement, 200 line up at start of Tacoma job fair

The line for employment was long, starting with the 200 people waiting for the doors to open Wednesday.

They were there for 10 a.m. start of the Hire 253 fair at Goodwill’s Milgard Work Opportunity Center. The fair offered entry-level jobs for those seeking a foot in the door at regional companies and other area employers.

As of 12:30 p.m., the turnout had surpassed the summer fair with 548 attendees. By the end of the fair after 2 p.m., 629 had attended, according to George White, who manages public relations and communications for Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region.

Amazon was among the recruiters for the fair. The day before, the company announced it was raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour for full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal work.

The fair promotes itself as helping end homelessness “one job at a time,” but was open to anyone looking for work.

Other recruiters included Amtrak, Columbia Bank, Concrete Technology Corp., Express Employment Professionals, Fred Meyer, Laborers Local 253, Labor Works, Madigan Army Medical Center, Milgard, Pepsi Co. and Pierce Transit.

No date has been set for the next job fair. Its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Hire253, will be updated with the next event’s details, when scheduled.

This story was originally published October 3, 2018 at 4:46 PM.