Bengaluru, July 24 : The Karnataka Skill Development Board on Friday launched a month-long virtual job fair for hiring skilled manpower. "Over 20 companies are participating in the virtual job fair to hire skilled talent in the state across verticals where opportunities are aplenty," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said on the occasion. Among companies participating in the online job fair are Flipkart, Wistron, Hinduja Global and Aditya Birla Fashion. Noting that opportunities for skilled manpower were growing the world over, Narayan said about 5 lakh skilled jobs were available in Japan alone. "As our focus is on increasing employability of youth, the courses have been designed to up-skill them at under-graduate and post-graduate levels," he said. Narayan, a medical doctor by profession, holds portfolios of higher education, IT, BT (biotech) and Science and Technology in the BJP-ruled government. The Skill Development Board has organised the first virtual job fair last year after the Covid pandemic broke out in mid-March 2020 and disrupted normal life with extended lockdowns and shutdowns to contain the virus spread. About 8,500 skilled persons were hired in the 2020 job fair. "We had recently (July 15) conducted the World Youth Skill Day for the first time to align with the global standards in skilling," Narayan recalled. The minister advised aspirants to register on www.skillconnect.kaushalkar.com for jobs in commensurate with their skills and educational qualifications. /IANS