JACKSON -- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will hire fewer employees for this year's ski season, resort officials said.

At the resort's annual Winter Job Fair in the Bridger Center this weekend, 215 jobs will be available, compared with 300 openings last year.

Resort Human Resources Manager Amy Widener said the drop is driven by the economy and an increasing number of returning employees. The resort also has decided to turn some part-time jobs into fewer full-time positions, Widener said.

Overall, the resort is expected to employ 1,300 people this winter, compared with 1,500 last winter.

Last year -- for the first time in Widener's four-year tenure -- the job fair lured more applicants than there were jobs.

"This year," she said, "we think it will be a little bit more competitive, if not record breaking."

Available positions include cooks, ski-school instructors, parking attendants, retail clerks, ticket agents and lift operators. Some positions require previous experience. All resort employees receive a variety of benefits: a free all-mountain ski pass after meeting a minimum of 15 hours per week, a free bus pass and discounts on the mountain and around the valley.