Intel hosts weekend hiring event in Rio Rancho

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Intel held another job fair Saturday in a push to hire hundreds of more workers as part of their expansion.

While the company hires for tech positions, there’s also been a lot of job growth in unrelated sectors.

“We’re continuing on with that expansion, everything’s progressing well,” said Lanette Jaramillo, Intel’s People’s Systems and Safety Department manager.

The cranes at Intel are a very familiar sight in Rio Rancho, and they’re also a sign of the new jobs being brought in to the metro. 

“The main part that’s exciting about this, too, is it’s, I thought it would be a lot of local, which I love. But people from outside of the state have heard about it as well,” said Jaramillo. 

Jaramillo is talking about the hiring fair the company hosted Saturday. She says over 100 people walked through the doors and 40 people were interviewed on the spot. 

The fair is all part of the multi-billion dollar expansion announced back in 2021. Now, the tech company is looking to fill more of the new positions. 

“They started the initiative of hiring over 400 people. So we started with technicians, and that happened in about a month ago at Rio Rancho,” said Liliana Valdez, area supervisor for the state’s Department of Work for Solutions. 

Valadez says Intel has been partnering with Workforce Solutions to hold these hiring events. This hiring event was a little more specific. 

“Today’s more geared toward engineering and bachelor degrees in those engineering positions,” said Valadez. 

Valadez says it’s all part of the department’s efforts to get New Mexicans working. Right now, the department’s show the state’s unemployment rate in July was 4.8%. 

Jaramillo says the expansion has brought more than just direct Intel positions. 

“We have construction going on. So that brings out a lot of jobs as well. And just everything that we have from the businesses, people coming in here and moving into Rio Rancho, and just creating that overall economic impact. It’s exciting,” said Jaramillo. 

According to Intel, 1,000 construction jobs have been created along with 700 Intel positions. 

In June, the Department of Workforce Solutions announced New Mexico had the highest number of jobs in New Mexico history. 

Data shows the state added over 20,000 jobs from May 2022 to May 2023. Of those, jobs in tech grew by 12% and jobs in construction grew by 5.9%.

So whether you’re working at the Intel site or on it, the growth is as visible.

“It’s been so exciting and busy here, and everyone is just really helping and supporting each other,” Jaramillo said. 

An Intel rep says the company will hold more hiring events like this in the future, and it’s all part of the effort to fill hundreds of high paying jobs. 

For more information on job opportunities at Intel in New Mexico, click here.