According to the National Association  of Colleges and Employers, the need for new hires is 30% higher this year than it was in 2021.

The need for interns is also up 20%.

That's where Penn State Behrend's job fair steps in, hoping to fill the jobs left empty following the pandemic.

Behrend's job fair allowed not just students from Penn State Behrend to attend, but students from throughout Erie County, as well as any current students or alumni at any of Penn State's campuses.

The fair hosted 162 companies, and was open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. According to Associate Director of News and Information Robb Frederick, 1,130 students visited the fair.

And while job recruiters say that things have definitely gotten better for hires since the start of the pandemic, there's still quite a ways to go.

"It's gotten dramatically better as things are starting to lighten up and folks are eager to get back into the workforce," said Kyle Kleinedler of the Lake City electronics manufacturer, AirBorn, Inc. "For us, we're looking to hire about 30 new folks going into the winter months. We've been pretty successful with that throughout the process, which is great."

But others are hoping that the need for new employees will act as a wake-up call to many businesses and employers to start treating their workers better.

"There's this idea that I'm worth more than what I thought I was," said freshman Grace Peterson, who was looking to get an internship in environmental science. "And more people are looking for jobs, that kind of value them more, and care about them more than just being a number or just a statistic that's like, 'Oh, you're replaceable, we can get someone new.'"

"I think jobs should really look into being more on the people side. "Being like, 'Oh, you're a person. Like, you're valuable to this system and to our company. So we want you to say it will work with you so that you will say.'"

Penn State Behrend will be hosting a virtual job fair next week.