More than 1,500 jobseekers descended on ACC Liverpool as the city region looked to fill thousands of hospitality and tourism roles ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Around 100,000 extra visitors are expected in the city region when Liverpool hosts Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine in May.

Tens of thousands of visitors are also expected for the Grand National race meeting in April and The Open Golf Championship, at Hoylake, Wirral, in July.

Forty-three employers, including hotels, travel companies, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the Jockey Club and Liverpool Football Club, attended the special recruitment fair – with 2,382 posts available to jobseekers who travelled from across the city region and beyond.

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The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority joined forces with the Department for Work and Pensions, Liverpool City Council and Growth Platform to stage the fair which showcased current vacancies and long-term careers in the city region’s £5bn visitor economy.

It is hoped opportunities created by Eurovision will inspire people to consider a career in the diverse and vibrant visitor sector which includes museums, theatres, venues, restaurants, hotels, bars, shops and transport.

Interviews for temporary and permanent roles paying up to £30,000-a-year were held at the recruitment fair and job offers made on the day to suitable applicants.

Eurovision is predicted to be directly worth around £25m to the city region economy when it takes over Liverpool next May and looking at the impact on previous host cities, it could also increase tourism to the city by up to 5% a year – which equates to over £250m extra revenue by 2026.

The Eurovision recruitment fair was the first in a series of careers roadshows across the city region, including mini recruitment events and a campaign to raise awareness of the of the hospitality and tourism economy in schools. Mini recruitment fairs are planned in Halton, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

The recruitment fair was attended by Microsoft who offered digital accessibility support to jobseekers – including translation.

Jobseekers were also able to sign up for training courses to improve their chances of finding work in the sector.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Executive Director for Investment and Strategic Deliver, Aileen Jones, said:

“Eurovision presents a huge opportunity for the Liverpool City Region, its people and its visitor economy. With around 100,000 extra visitors expected and the eyes of the world on us, we are determined to do the city and Ukraine proud.

“This recruitment fair is helping ensure we give visitors to Eurovision and the other world-famous events the city region is hosting, the best possible welcome so they keep coming back.

“It is also connecting jobseekers with the Eurovision opportunity, providing employment and careers and making our visitor economy stronger.”

Janet Nuzum, Visitor Economy Sector Manager at Growth Platform – Liverpool City Region Growth Company said:

“Today’s recruitment fair has been absolutely fantastic. Not only has it been great that so many of our businesses were here today on the lookout for new talent, but it has also been encouraging to see so many people looking for job opportunities in the hospitality and tourism sector.

“Events such as these really give us an opportunity to highlight the significant role that hospitality plays in making sure all our visitors have an exceptional time when they come here. That is why we will be holding further recruitment fairs in the city region, and I would encourage businesses in the sector to get involved.”

Linda Usher, Senior Employer and Partner Lead for the DWP, added:

“This jobs fair in Liverpool was a brilliant success and gave those across the region, looking for work the chance to speak to prospective employers face to face.

“It’s crucial that people of all ages and backgrounds have the chance to progress and we have another five jobs fairs planned in March and April in the lead up to Eurovision.”

Last year, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, unveiled a £4.5m, two-year strategy with a raft of urgent interventions and longer-term measures to help the city region’s hospitality and tourism industry return to full health after it was devastated by the pandemic.

In October 2022, Be More – a new, all-in-one training and careers portal, complete with an AI-powered app – was launched to connect residents with employment and opportunities.

The Be More site currently has more than 2,500 vacancies listed while the website Adzuna lists around 1,000 positions across the city region in retail, hospitality and travel and tourism.