The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is hosting a job fair for military veterans and the general public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd.

Those leaving the military, Guard or Reserve personnel, veterans and their family members, and the general public can meet with potential employers in one location.

More than 100 employers who are hiring for open positions will participate. They represent industries such as construction, cybersecurity, education, health care, law enforcement, sales, staffing, transportation and several others.

“These recruiters and hiring managers are eager to connect with job seekers, and they have open positions ready to fill. We encourage members of our community to take advantage of this opportunity, whether they’re looking to start a new job or explore a career change,” Pikes Peak Workforce Center spokeswoman Becca Tonn said in a news release.

The annual event — the largest of the year for the workforce center — typically draws hundreds of job seekers, she told The Gazette. In the past, it has drawn as few as 400 people and as many as 1,100.

The job fair comes at a time when the national labor market is seen as softening. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has described it as a “low-hire, low-fire economy.”

The latest state and national unemployment figures and indicators are unavailable as the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 continues. But some private data sources point to continued softness in the labor market, Bill Craighead, the director of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Economic Forum, said in an October report released Thursday.

Global payroll services company ADP estimated the private sector lost 32,000 jobs in September, according to the report.

The national unemployment rate increased slightly in August, the latest month for which data is available. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported the national unemployment rate was 4.3% in August, up one-tenth of a percentage point from July, and up two-tenths of a percentage point from June.

Colorado’s jobless rate declined to 4.2% in August, down three-tenths of a percentage point from July and down from 4.7% in June. Previously, Colorado’s labor rate had surpassed the national rate for nine straight months, since November.

Retail giants Amazon and Target, and telecom company Charter Communications, for example, have additionally announced this month that they plan mass layoffs, hinting at continued softening in the labor market. Amazon will eliminate about 14,000 jobs; Target will lay off around 1,000 workers and eliminate about 800 open positions; and Charter announced it plans to lay off about 1,200 U.S. employees.

Tonn said the number of job seekers utilizing the workforce center’s resources is consistent with usual levels.

“It’s comparable with what we see year over year and month over month,” she said. “We have roughly the same number of people who come in to use our resources and for other job fairs we host.”

The community and veterans job fair is sponsored by USAA. For more information and to view a full list of participating employers, visit https://ppwfc.org/usaa-job-fair/.

Job seekers are encouraged to register for the event at ConnectingColorado.gov and bring multiple copies of their résumés.

The event opens for military personnel, veterans and their families at 10 a.m. and for members of the general public at 11 a.m.