A job fair held Friday to tackle the state’s labor shortages and assist workers affected by federal layoffs, resignations and job transitions drew about
100 attendees within the first 30 minutes, officials said.
Hosted by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the event initially focused on filling
positions within DLIR’s divisions, offering job-seekers the chance to meet hiring managers, participate in
on-the-spot interviews and receive job-matching and application assistance.
However, interest from other state agencies led to a broader effort, incorporating multiple departments into the fair as part of Operation Hire Hawaii, a targeted outreach initiative aimed
at streamlining the state’s hiring process by fast-tracking qualified candidates into government jobs across Hawaii, providing opportunities for those affected by layoffs, funding cuts and other employment challenges.
State Department of
Accounting and General
Services Deputy Comptroller Meoh-Leng Silliman
said the department is building on DLIR’s efforts
to connect job-seekers with employment opportunities.
While the hiring and job postings are aimed at federal employees who were laid off, the department also welcomes federal workers uncertain about their job status, as well as members of the public, to explore vacant positions.
Two former U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation
Service employees, Terri Dux and Kathryn Hong, were abruptly terminated Feb. 13 and attended the hiring fair to explore new job opportunities.
Dux, a former management analyst for the public affairs department, said she had worked as a contractor for four years before being offered a full-time federal position just eight months ago.
“I had my quarterly review that morning at 10 a.m., and my boss — who didn’t know anything about what was going to happen — walked in and said, ‘You’re an excellent employee, I don’t know what else to say,’ and then at about 6 p.m. I saw I got an email with the subject ‘Termination,’” Dux said.
Hong, who served as an executive assistant to the director, said she was at work when she learned about the email.
She was at her desk when she heard a co-worker crying and went over to ask what had happened, only to find out the co-worker had received a termination letter in the middle of the workday. At first, Hong thought it might have been a mistake — but a few hours later she received one herself.
Dux and Hong told the
Honolulu Star-Advertiser that 22 people in their office left, with some opting for early buyouts while about 15 were laid off Feb. 13. The email from the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center — the overarching HR department for the USDA — stated, “Today was your last day … you’re not a valued employee, you do not serve.” It also cited performance issues and claimed they did not serve the public interest.
“I was so shocked, everyone was so shocked. My boss was so shocked,” Dux said. “After that I just deep-dived into depression.”
The layoffs were
communicated solely via email, and Dux said there was no guidance on health insurance, which was set to end this week, or unemployment benefits. She received only the SF-8 form — a document used by federal employees to initiate unemployment claims — a week ago.
Hong said she has about six years before she can
retire and is at a loss about what to do after being laid off from the job she had always wanted and was happy to have.
She attended the hiring fair to explore what the state has to offer and see whether any positions matched her experience. She picked up applications from the state Department of the Attorney General and the state Department of Taxation.
“They give you a way in, like an entry-level job, but it’s up to you to work your way in, right?” Hong said. “So it definitely helps for us being here while unemployed because we have to log where we are, what we’re doing and what we’re inquiring about. That’s exactly what we’re doing here.”
Caleb Weeks, an investigator in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, has been in his role for about three years and was not affected by the recent layoffs. However, he attended the job fair to explore opportunities in case their situation changes.
“I feel like we just kind of have to stay on our toes with what’s going on,” Weeks said. “Unlike some agencies, we weren’t directly targeted. There’s some anxiety and uncertainty but we’re definitely hopeful.”
Francis Amankwah, Weeks’ colleague, explained that attending the job fair gives him a chance to see what positions are open and what might be of interest, even though he’s not actively job hunting. Given the uncertainty around federal employees’ jobs under the Trump administration, he said it doesn’t hurt to explore.
