Goodwill San Antonio Mega Job Fair draws nearly 700 jobseekers, featuring 50-plus employers and 1,000 openings

Large-scale hiring event connects jobseekers with employers across multiple industries

Goodwill San Antonio held a mega job fair at the Second Baptist Church Community Center, 3310 E. Commerce St., drawing nearly 700 jobseekers to meet with more than 50 employers recruiting for a combined total of more than 1,000 open roles. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17.

The hiring fair was organized through Goodwill San Antonio’s career-services operation, which provides job-placement support and individualized coaching. Employers participating in the fair represented a range of sectors, reflecting the breadth of the region’s hiring needs—from public-sector and utilities to hospitality, food service, construction and manufacturing-adjacent work.

Who was hiring, and what types of roles were promoted

Participating organizations included Goodwill San Antonio along with major local and national employers such as Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, the City of San Antonio, Marriott International, San Antonio Water System (SAWS), Whataburger and Zachry. The employer mix signaled an emphasis on operational and customer-facing staffing, with many openings typically tied to frontline service, facilities, logistics and skilled-trades pipelines.

Event materials indicated that most positions advertised offered starting pay of $15 per hour or more. The fair also included “background-friendly” opportunities, a term commonly used in workforce services to describe roles where employers may consider applicants with prior justice-system involvement depending on the position and individual circumstances.

• Event format: in-person employer tables and direct recruiter contact

• Scale: 50-plus employers and 1,000-plus openings promoted

• Pay baseline highlighted by organizers: many roles at $15/hour or higher

• Accessibility focus: some employers marketing background-friendly hiring

How the job fair fits into broader workforce efforts

The event took place as San Antonio continues to expand job training and placement programs designed to move residents into higher-wage work. Goodwill Industries is among the community partners supporting the City of San Antonio’s Ready to Work program, an initiative approved by voters in 2020 and funded through a dedicated 1/8-cent sales tax to support training and employment placement. The city reported on February 25, 2026, that more than 4,000 residents had reached approved job placements through the program.

Job fairs can shorten the hiring cycle by putting applicants and recruiters in the same room, particularly for employers filling large numbers of operational roles.

Options for jobseekers who missed the event

Goodwill San Antonio encouraged jobseekers who were unable to attend to contact its Academy & Career Services team to schedule an appointment for individualized employment assistance. Goodwill’s career centers offer free job-search support that can include resume help, application guidance and interview preparation, with services generally available to adults with valid work authorization.

For many applicants, organizers positioned the fair not as a one-time opportunity but as a gateway into ongoing career-navigation services aimed at connecting jobseekers to employers with immediate openings.