Officials are expecting a turnout of thousands of job-seekers at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina job fair, which gets underway today.

The resort hopes to hire 750 employees by the anticipated May 27 opening.

The fair starts at 9 a.m. and wraps up at 5 p.m. today, and runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Hawaii West Oahu. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply online and will be eligible to schedule job fair interviews.

Sanjiv Hulugalle, general manager of Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, said the resort wants to hire local residents to fill the majority of the positions, including a variety of hospitality jobs in the areas of recreation, security, culinary, engineering, housekeeping and spa services. Hulugalle said Four Seasons plans to host additional job fairs leading up to the resort’s opening.

City Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who is partnering with the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce to organize the event through the Hire Leeward initiative, said they are expecting and planning for more than 2,000 people, which is the ballpark figure that past Leeward Coast job fairs typically generated.

About 500 workers lost their jobs when the former J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa closed under a plan to transform it into the first Four Seasons on Oahu. The resort operates locations on Lanai, Maui and Hawaii island.

Pine said she saw an uptick in traffic after Ihilani closed due in part to former employees commuting to Waikiki for work. She said she hopes the Four Seasons positions will reduce some traffic congestion.

“This is the first time that one employer is hiring so many people,” she said. “People really want to get out of traffic, and they want to live a better life by working close to where they live.”

For more information visit jobs.fourseasons.com or hireleeward.com.