LAKELAND - The number of companies seeking employees has grown exponentially during the recovery from the pandemic and as the economy gains strength especially in Polk County.

CareerSource Polk will host the 2021 Veterans and Community Job Fair on Wednesday at the AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center in Winter Haven. More than 100 employers have agreed to participate, according to spokeswoman Candace Franklin.

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This event at 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd. is hosted in partnership with Polk Vision and the Central Florida Development Council, she said.

The general public is welcome to attend from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. In appreciation of their service, veterans will receive early access at 9:45 a.m., Franklin said. The job fair is also CareerSource Polk’s contribution to Paychecks for Patriots, a statewide initiative to connect veterans and military families with employment opportunities.

Additionally, many of the nine universities, colleges and technical schools that make up the Countywide Higher Education Workforce group will have tables at this event to accommodate students at the event.

Pre-registration for the event is available at employflorida.com and will help minimize check-in time for job seekers. Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.

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The job fair comes on the heels of the October national jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reported non-farm jobs increased by 531,000 last month.

"It is interesting to note that thus far this year, monthly job growth has averaged 582,000," according to Gary Ralston, a managing director and senior advisor for SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler real estate firm. "Non-farm employment has increased by 18.2 million since a recent trough in April 2020 but is down by 4.2 million, or 2.8 percent, from its pre-pandemic level in February 2020."

Ralston added, "job growth was widespread in October, with notable job gains occurring in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in manufacturing, and in transportation and warehousing."

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Polk County, with includes the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area, is at an all time high for jobs added recently. By comparison, Florida is about 1,063,800 jobs higher than the pandemic low in April 2020 but still 205,400 below the pre pandemic peak in Feb. 2020.

In addition to the job fair, W.S. Badcock Corporation, the Badcock Home Furniture &more retailer, will be hosting its own 2021 Job Rally on Friday and Saturday.

"The company will be conducting interviews and offering jobs on the spot for the right candidates," a company spokeswoman said in an email. The first 50 people to interview will receive a Chick-Fil-A gift card and there will be a raffle for a portable grill.

Positions available are for customer care, call centers, distribution centers and retail. W.S. Badcock Corporation offers competitive starting pay plus bonuses and incentives, the spokeswoman said.

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The job rally will be held Friday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Badcock Home Furniture &more Administration Building located at 205 NW 2nd St. in Mulberry.

Founded in 1904, W.S. Badcock Corporation is one of the largest privately held home furnishings companies in the United States with more than 380 corporate and associate dealer stores and 2,500 employees in eight southeastern states.

Lakeland-based Publix Super Market has also announced it wants to hire 30,000 associates by years end throughout its seven-state operating area. The company will hire associates to work in stores, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities for non-seasonal positions, a press release stated.

In October, Carvana held a two day hiring push to fill 150 job positions for its Haines City Inspection Center.

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Another hiring event last month occurred at Medline, the largest privately-held medical products manufacturer and distributor in North America, which distributes 300,000 unique medical products and manufactures 80,000 different medical products globally.

In the company’s expansion and growth, Medline has created 8,500 new jobs at eight new distribution centers and nearly 150 manufacturing expansion projects in the U.S., a spokeswoman said.

Medline operates 23 manufacturing sites, 45 distribution centers and employs more than 27,000 people in about 90 countries.

Earlier this fall, Amazon announced it wants to hire 150,000 seasonal jobs for its operations in nationwide.

"Amazon continues to provide diverse employment opportunities for people of all backgrounds and skill levels," according Amazon spokesman, Owen Torres. The jobs included 10,500 in Florida and more than 2,000 in Amazon's Tampa region, which includes Polk County.

Paul Nutcher covers business and industry for The Ledger. He can be reached at pnutcher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County job fair and hiring announcements abound as growth soars