On Thursday, the Province of Santa Fe held the first Local Job Fair for the 2026 South American Games at the Rosario Business Association (AER). Organised with the Argentine Confederation of Medium-Sized Enterprises (CAME) and Roldán Town Council, the event drew more than 300 shortlisted candidates, who attended in-person interviews with representatives from 15 catering, tourism, hospitality and retail companies.
The initiative, promoted by the Provincial Government, aims to link the region’s labour demand with the economic and operational impact that the continental sporting event will generate. In this first stage, out of a total of more than 1,700 registrants, the participating firms assessed operational and customer service profiles to fill active job vacancies linked to the demand arising from the hosting of the sporting event.
The Games open job opportunities
During the event, Gisela Scaglia, a Member of the National Congress and former Deputy Governor, emphasised that the Games’ impact on employment began long before the competitions and will continue throughout September. “Governor Maximiliano Pullaro and I always say that the South American Games will not only be a celebration of sport and a very important sporting event, but will also generate a great deal of work for the province,” she said.
In this regard, she recalled that job creation was evident during the construction of stadiums, tracks and other infrastructure, and explained that demand is now shifting to other sectors: “There are companies closely linked to the Games – many of them in the service, hospitality, catering and sports sectors – which know they are set to experience a boom in business, that they will have to meet greater demand, and are looking for suitable candidates.”
Scaglia also praised the pre-selection process carried out by the Employment Secretariat to match companies’ needs with applicants’ profiles. “I visited some of the stands and they told me they were very pleased with the people who had turned up, that they had found many very suitable CVs and that, following this initial interview, they would be calling them to join the company and start work,” she said.
The Deputy Governor noted that 1,700 people had registered to take part in the event in Rosario and predicted that the next event would see even greater demand: “For the one in Santa Fe, we have over 7,000 registrations.”
Connecting companies with job seekers
For his part, the Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Roald Báscolo, explained that the proposal builds on the experience of the job fairs organised by the Province and adapts them to the specific needs arising from the Games.
“It is a place where companies looking to fill vacancies linked to the South American Games can meet those who are seeking work or wish to change jobs,” said the minister.
Báscolo also highlighted that the initiative represents “an opportunity for many businesses and entrepreneurs in the catering, hospitality and tourism sectors to play their part in the South American Games”, and emphasised the importance of creating job opportunities in the current climate.
Working together to strengthen local employment
The job fairs form part of the policies of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security aimed at strengthening job placement services and creating a direct link between companies needing to recruit staff and those seeking employment.
In the case of the South American Games, the initiative also ensures that some of the economic and service sector activity generated by the sporting event translates into job opportunities for workers in the province.
