GREENSBORO, N.C. — During the pandemic some working mothers had to choose parenting over their jobs.
A Greensboro organization is doing its part to change the narrative and help women re-enter the work force.
The Women's Resources Center of Greensboro is all about empowering women and helping them navigate life's hurdles.
Wednesday they invited women from all over the Triad to their spring job fair.
Women 18 and older were welcome to network with employers who were ready to hire from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday May. 4.
Heather Schneck with the women’s resource center said big-name companies like Cone Health, Truist and Bank of America were looking look to fill hundreds of positions.
“We have a couple of staffing companies. There are lots of different opportunities not just so much in health care or financial," schneck said. "There are lots of clerical jobs that can be found within these companies, customer service, health care, home health."
Recruiters want to hire and retain women who may have had a break in employment.
“Even if you've been out of the workforce for a couple of years I encourage you to come network talk with employers because they're looking for people even if they had a period of absence," Schneck said.
Nationally there were 1 million fewer women in the workforce in January 2022 compared to feb 2020 according to the National Womens Law Center.
“The pandemic had a great effect on that. A lot of women had to stay home they had to quit their jobs and take care of children and homeschool for almost 2 years so a lot of women didn't have the flexibility to do that and work so they left." Schneck said.
Some progress is being made. In March women made up for nearly 63% of all jobs gained in the U.S.
However, data shows there are still more than 800,000 fewer women in the labor force now than in February of 2020.
If you missed the job fair the Women's Resource Center has a women's job club that meets on the first Wednesday of each month.
It's a way for employers to talk about their business and connect with potential new hires.
You can learn more about the women’s resource centers programs here.