International companies looking to hire bilingual employees will take over the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center (CCCN) in the eastern suburb of Barrio Dent tomorrow and Friday for the job fair CCCN JOBS.

Companies including Intel, Philip Morris, Sykes, Credomatic, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett Packard, HSBC, Manpower and People Support have a range of positions open for English speakers, according to a statement from the center.

Customer service, accounting, business administration, systems engineering and industrial engineering are among fields in which these companies are looking to hire.

Those interested can get more information and submit their resumes at www.cccncr.com/bolsadeempleo.html.

The fair will be inaugurated tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the center's Mark Twain Library with a talk by Sykes General Manager Flora Solera and Sykes Corporate Relations Manager Dennis Arciniegas entitled “The Bilingual Labor Market.” The event runs tomorrow and Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

During the first CCCN JOBS fair last year, 2,000 job seekers attended, and the center hopes for better attendance this year.

The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) estimates about 12,000 more jobs will open for bilingual workers next year.