70 employers await jobseekers at expo

Benny Silva went from making more than $90,000 a year in the construction industry to just $450 a week in unemployment benefits after he lost his job seven months ago.

"I've been a construction superintendent for about 12 years, but the construction industry has suffered a lot," said Mr. Silva, 45. He has been looking for a job but can't find anything in construction, he said.

On Thursday, about 70 employers in several industries and several thousand job seekers are expected to attend the North Georgia Career Expo and Job Fair in the Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center.

The job fair, one of the largest ever in North Georgia, could help alleviate the high unemployment rates in the region.

Since 2007, close to 12,000 jobs have been lost in the Dalton area, including Murray and Whitfield counties, according to the Georgia Department of Labor. And the unemployment rate has more than doubled from 4.9 percent in September 2007 to 12.4 percent in September 2009.

"It would be really good if more companies were hiring," said Mr. Silva, who is planning to go to the job fair. "Unfortunately, right now most companies are waiting for the economy to recover before they hire."

The Dalton area has been one of the hardest hit in the nation in the last three years, Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said.

"We want to be able to demonstrate to the people in Dalton and surrounding areas that we believe the economy will bounce back, and this is just one step in that effort to assist local leaders who are working to rebuild the local economy," he said.

The Georgia Department of Labor and WTVC NewsChannel 9 are sponsoring the fair.

"We are excited they decided to have it here," Dalton Mayor David Pennington said. "It illustrates that even as tough as times are there are a lot of jobs available now, and this will hopefully help link people" with those jobs.

Some of the employers participating include Aflac, Hutcheson Medical Center, Kool Smiles, Wachovia Bank and Waggoners Trucking.

There also will be about 20 resource and community service providers, including two and four-year public and private educational institutions and technical colleges, to help with things such as resumes, organizers said.

"First, we want to help people get back to work," Mr. Thurmond said. "Secondly, we want to have a better informed and better educated work force."