The sign in the Boothbay Region YMCA door said it all on April 28: “Employers hiring today.” If you are looking for work then Boothbay Harbor was the place to be as 34 Midcoast businesses participated in the first ever Coastal Job Fair at the local Y.

The fair ran from 2 to 7 p.m. with employers from Bath, Wiscasset, Damariscotta and the Boothbay region. The Taverneers, a group of 20-plus Boothbay region businesses, sponsored the event as an effort to fill vacant positions and promote local economic growth. Key Bank Regional Sales Executive Chris Austin worked with other local businessmen three years ago to organize the group.

Austin was pleased that nearly three dozen employers attended the job fair.

“Whatever you’re looking for it’s here. There are skilled positions paying between $50,000 to $60,000 per year. We also have many seasonal and part-time positions available. If you’re ready to work then somebody here is going to put you to work,” Austin said.

The Taverneers sponsored the fair with assistance from the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Department of Labor Career Center in Brunswick. The Taverneers hoped the event would solve the Boothbay region’s long standing problem of a lack of seasonal and year-round workers.

Dianne Gimbel is the co-owner of Gimbel’s General Store in Boothbay Harbor. Her family also owns Gretchen’s Closet and Log Cabin Shoes also located on Commercial Street. Gimbel attended the fair hoping to find sales associates for the three stores.

“We usually hire students, but we haven’t had as many apply at the stores as in past years. We’re looking for sales associates with people skills who can be trained to work in a retail store. We have both part-time and full-time positions, and hope a lot of students drop by today.”

High school students looking for work was a main focus of the job fair. Most of the vendors had signs on their tables which read “Hiring students.” The organizers scheduled a five-hour job fair hoping to attract as many Boothbay Region High students as possible.

The Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor attended. It needs about two dozen more workers for the May through October tourist season. The inn typically hires many international and college students.

But two hours into the fair, Spruce Point Inn Director of Human Service Joe Bedard didn’t see many high school students.

“Housing continues to be a problem in finding seasonal workers so we hoped to hire a lot of high school students, but we really haven’t had many come in,” he said.

Washburn & Doughty Shipyard in East Boothbay is looking for skilled labor. The boat builder is looking to hire five workers immediately and as many as 15 to 20 in the coming year. Washburn & Doughty needs welders, shipfitters, mechanics, and painters. Washburn & Doughty recruits skilled workers graduating from the state’s technical schools this May.

But finding skilled workers is becoming more difficult due to an ever-increasing demand for them.

“The pool continues to shrink. We’re hoping to find a few local people in the area today,” said Washburn & Doughty Human Resources and Safety Director Don Embrey. “Our goal is to find the next generation of workers. Our workforce is rapidly aging, and will retire soon, so we need to start finding younger workers.”

For those looking for work, the job fair had numerous options. Russell Fox and Kim Leighton traveled from Waldoboro seeking either full-time or part-time work. Fox heard about the workshop through the Brunswick Career Center.

“This is the first one I ever went to. I liked it,” he said.

Leighton said the job fair had a variety of employment opportunities.

“There is a good mix of jobs. I also like having all the businesses in one place. It gave you a chance to make a lot of good connections,” she said.

Both Leighton and Fox said they’d gladly travel to the Boothbay region for the right job.