West Corp. plans job fair to add 300 jobs in Omaha area; cites increased client demand

West Corp. plans job fair to add 300 jobs in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. — Call center operator West Corp. said Wednesday it plans to hold a job fair in Omaha this month to fill about 300 jobs, but company officials say the hiring doesn’t mean the economy is booming.

West spokesman David Pleiss said the company is adding jobs in Omaha, but it’s total employment was down to 35,000 at the end of June from 38,000 in March.

In addition to running call centers, West also offers conference, emergency-management and customer-support services.

The Omaha hiring is good news, but Pleiss said it shouldn’t be taken as a sign the economy is improving significantly.

“We’re not seeing any dramatic improvements that would lead us to see a rebound. But it’s not getting worse either,” Pleiss said.

West officials say the new workers are needed because it recently added a new health care client and because several of its existing customers have increased demand. Since May, West has hired about 700 other people in the Omaha area, bringing West’s employment here up to about 3,300.

In the second quarter, West reported that its net income jumped 37 percent to $36.3 million as the company reduced some of its expenses.

West says it will hold the job fair at its west Omaha headquarters on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, West also announced plans to open an office in Guadalajara, Mexico. That customer contact center will eventually employ about 500 people. But Pleiss said most of West’s call center operations remain based in the United States.

Online:

West Corp. job fair details: www.westemployment.com