Against a background of continuing uncertainty in the job market, myGwork will host Work Fair on Wednesday 24 March 2021 – a one-day global career fair introducing LGBTQ+ job seekers to inclusive employers.
In both the US and the UK, the economic impact on LGBTQ+ people, LGBTQ+ people of color and Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities is clear: A report from the Movement Advancement Project on the impact of the pandemic on US LGBTQ+ people was stark: compared to cisgendered, heterosexual peers, LGBTQ+ people have suffered worse outcomes, with many losing jobs, income, and access to healthcare.
In the UK, a report released in March 2020 – before the first national lockdown and furlough scheme – by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Carnegie UK Trust, and Operation Black Vote revealed that millennials from BAME backgrounds were “58% more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts.”
To help combat the economic impact felt by LGBTQ+ people, including LGBTQ+ people of color, myGwork, the network connecting LGBTQ+ professionals, graduates and inclusive employers, will host #WorkFair – a one-day global virtual career fair event.
LGBTQ+ applicants will be able to meet and interview with 120 inclusive employers, send their CV to recruiters, talk to an LGBTQ+ representative and learn more about the culture at the organizations attending #Workfair.
Adrien Gaubert, who co-founded myGwork with his brother Pierre, says myGwork is committed to ensuring visibility and access for all LGBTQ+ professionals.
“It’s really important that those of us with the means, access, and opportunity are paying attention to the data coming out about the economic impact of Covid-19”, comments Adrien.
“For those of us committed to equality in the workplace, we need to be offering up our platforms, using our influence, and demanding more from those around us to make sure that employment opportunities are reaching as widely as possible.
myGwork founders Adrien and Pierre Gaubert
“In myGwork’s case, we have two communities ready and willing to engage: employers and job seekers. #WorkFair is one of the ways we are bringing these two groups together.”
Alongside chat and video functionality connecting job seekers and potential employers directly, #WorkFair will also offer free webinars throughout the day, with experts advising on managing career changes, CV writing, LGBTQ+ focused issues, virtual interview skills, and more.
Importantly, #WorkFair’s focus is not only on job seekers but on potential employers too – those seeking to recruit the best and the brightest from the widest pool possible will have to demonstrate they are living up to inclusive workplace practices.
#WorkFair builds on the success of myGwork’s #WorkPride, which brought together high-level LGBTQ+ professionals, consultants, and thought leaders. #WorkPride explored current and future possibilities for LGBTQ+ professionals as well as the organizations that support them. Conversations focused on job opportunities, hiring practices, and mental health and wellbeing.
Pierre Gaubert, co-founder of myGwork, feels confident that the community myGwork has cultivated over the years will prove beneficial in a demanding job market.
“The work we do to ensure workplace equality started long before Covid-19, but it feels especially important that at this time, organizations are sticking to the promises they’ve made to their current and prospective employees – and to the industries they represent”, he says/
“There has absolutely been a negative impact on the bottom lines of many businesses, but the potential for growth and recruitment is huge. There are jobs available. #WorkFair is myGwork’s contribution at this moment: we know great LGBTQ+ professionals and we know great and inclusive organizations that are looking for talent.
“Our job is to bring the two together. That’s what we do.”
For more information on the myGwork Work Fair click here.
