A growing number of workers who took jobs during the economic slowdown to ensure they had a paycheck are now looking to trade up for better positions as employers increase hiring, organizers of the state’s largest job fair said.

Of the job seekers who pre-registered for Tuesday’s Job Quest job fair, about one-third said they were already employed, a considerably higher percentage than at past job fairs, said Beth Busch, executive director of the event held three times a year at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.

"It’s easier for someone who has a job to look for a job, and people are hiring," Busch said.

The 168 employers who came to recruit were the most since the 180 who attended the job fair in September 2008 before the recession began taking its toll on the local job market.

Tuesday’s event drew 3,200 job seekers, considerably fewer than the last job fair in May, which brought in 7,000 attendees. However, May’s job fair attendance was inflated by the presence of Walt Disney Co., which was in the midst of hiring 800 workers for its Aulani resort at Ko Olina, which opened in August.

"The 3,200 count wasn’t as high as recent job fairs, but it wasn’t a bad turnout compared to what we used to get. And employers reported a higher quality of candidate, which is good," Busch said.

Tuesday’s numbers provided a more upbeat view of Oahu’s job market than recent statewide employment data. Hawaii’s unemployment rate has hovered in the 6-to-6.3 percent range since January. The rate has been a full percentage point lower on Oahu.

Several employers at the job fair said they were ramping up hiring because business was picking up.

The owners of Tanioka’s Seafood and Catering said they decided to recruit for the first time to fill seven positions at their Waipahu eatery. The restaurant recently catered an event for 3,300 Disney workers and their families, the largest job to date for Tanioka’s.

"We actually have gotten busier. Things are looking up for us," said Jasmine Tanioka-Lum, one of the owners.

She said the restaurant received dozens of applications at the job fair for positions, including catering coordinator, fish cutter, sushi maker, dishwasher and maintenance technician.

SpeediShuttle is aiming to hire 60 to 80 drivers for its on-demand shuttle service between Honolulu Airport and Waikiki, which is set to launch Oct. 16. SpeediShuttle is taking over the contract with the Department of Transportation previously held by Roberts Hawaii.

SpeediShuttle is looking for drivers with knowledge of Oahu who have "clean" driving records, said Terry Carroll, project administrator for the Maui-based company.

Job seeker Robert Richards said he attended the job fair in hopes of getting a position more in line with his training in architecture and building design. Richards, who currently works as a waiter, said he had to take a break from his studies at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture to support his fiancee and their 10-month-old baby.

Richards, 21, said he filled out an application at Green Hawaiian Construction, which had several openings that matched his skills. He said his goal was to find a job in his field with the flexibility that would allow him to return to his architecture studies.

Ken Yokomoto, 33, said he was looking for an upgrade from his job with an airplane refueling company at Honolulu Airport where he has worked for about a year.

"I’m looking for more technical," said Yokomoto, who has an electronics degree from Honolulu Community College.

"With education nowadays, by the time you get your education at school and you go out in the job market, they’ve got a lot of new equipment. So you have to learn everything again. Whether you have a degree or not, it is still hard."

Debbie Tantillers, a 2009 graduate from McKinley High School, said she was looking for a second job because there are no full-time positions at the grocery store where she works part time as a courtesy clerk.

Busch, who also is president of Success Advertising, said the September job fair normally attracts a large number of retailers who are hiring for the holiday shopping season.

This year the Pearl Harbor Navy Exchange hoped to hire about 60 people at the Job Quest job fair, said Natalie Brewster, retail operations technician for the shopping mall open to military personnel and their dependents. The Navy Exchange also plans its own job fair on Oct. 5 at the mall. Altogether, the Navy Exchange is aiming to hire about 150 workers for the season, she said.

VIDEO: Hundreds turn out for Honolulu job fair