Hundreds of people are vying for a job like Erica Rodriguez who has been unemployed for 3 years, she says because so many people are out of work right now, its very competitive. “Really difficult, like I said, the economy is really bad right now, businesses going out, you know people getting laid off,” said Rodriguez.
Dozens of businesses like Fresno Unified School District, City of Fresno, and American Ambulance were part of the job fair. Marvin Seals was currently laid off from his job, he says job fairs like this one is great! He handed out his resume to multiple companies hiring.
“I am ready to work right now," said Seals.
So are millions of people in America. The national unemployment rate is 8.1%, in California its 10.7%, and in Fresno County it’s 14.7%. Organizers say that's exactly why they felt it was necessary to have this job fair.
“Unemployment even though its dropping, its still extremely high, I mean we're like 70 percent higher than the national average and so we said there's still a need for a job fair,” said Tate Hill, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce.
Organizers say job fairs allow people to have one on ones with potential employers, and with 40 plus businesses all under one roof, a job fair can help better a person's chance of getting a job.
If you missed Thursday’s job fair, you can call 441-7929 for more information.
