The Hawaii Career Expo scheduled for Wednesday at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall will feature many of the state’s top employers, including city and state government agencies looking to fill positions with displaced federal workers.

A free event, sponsored by the Honolulu Star- Advertiser, and presented by Star Events, the job fair is open to all job-seekers and allows talented candidates to meet hiring managers from a variety of companies, the military and government departments at more than 100 booths, organizers said.

With the recent downsizing in the U.S. government, this week’s Career Expo will also give former federal workers an opportunity to learn about dozens of Honolulu and state of Hawaii agencies that are in the market for skilled employees.

“The City & County of Honolulu are actively recruiting displaced federal employees and professionals from non-governmental organizations impacted by federal funding cuts. To streamline hiring, the City’s Department of Human Resources is implementing expedited recruitment measures,” Star Events Director Denise Ching said.

“In a similar initiative, the state is also prioritizing the recruitment of highly skilled professionals in several areas. These job categories include program specialists, information technology, finance, budget management, engineering, infrastructure development, human resources, accounting, social services and more. Hawaii government has approximately 4,000 vacancies, which accounts for about 24% of state positions,” she said.

The Career Expo is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Attendees may present a printed copy of their resume at the front door for free admission. Preregistration is recommended at hawaiicareerexpo.com.

State crews and a contractor cleared 45 illegal encampments this week from the slopes of Diamond Head, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources officials said today.

The sweep was part of regular quarterly cleanup on Division of State Parks lands, according to a DLNR news release. Officials said Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers cited three people his morning for being in a closed area of Diamond Head as part of the effort.

“Entry into closed areas on Diamond Head is difficult to enforce without circling the entire crater with an impenetrable barrier,” DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said in the news release. “The mountain is porous, and there are countless routes for people to use.”

Honolulu police were on stand-by today during the cleanup of makai lands, and state Department of Law Enforcement and multiple service agencies established an intake area in a nearby park, where anyone who was displaced could learn about assistance programs.

DLNR homeless coordinator Pua Aiu said that even if people who have lived on Diamond Head for years wanted to move to a shelter or transitional housing, there are not enough beds to support them all at once.

“There is also a severe lack of beds for people needing mental health services or addiction treatment,” she said.

DLNR officials said there are large amounts of camping gear and buckets of human waste that litter the slopes.

Although DLNR expressed concerns for human health that the waste could flow into the ocean during rain, officials said its crews will leave the buckets due to safety concerns, presumably for the workers.

“We appreciate the community’s patience with this issue,” Redulla said.

He said there are hundreds of places grappling with the same issues, but there are no easy or ready solutions. DLNR’s leaders say regular cleanups will continue to be necessary without “broad-based community support, political will, and funding for more permanent solutions.”