“Job fair great opportunity for struggling region” |
| Job fair great opportunity for struggling region Posted: 26 Aug 2010 09:05 PM PDT August 26, 2010 Job fair 'great opportunity' for struggling regionThey came in droves. Some were dressed in business suits, some wore baseball caps and blue jeans. Some were from Dalton, others from as far away as Rome. They were all in search of one thing — a job. During a four-hour career fair on Thursday, 800 job seekers packed the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center as the state Department of Labor looks to hire 45 for its new Disability Adjudication Services (DAS) office in Dalton. On Tuesday, State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond traveled here to announce the department will open the office in early to mid-November. The positions are expected to be filled by Sept. 15, followed by a six-week training period. Labor department officials hope to hire as many workers from northwest Georgia as possible. "The job seekers were people with good skills, good experience levels and high skill levels," said Sam Hall, a spokesman for the labor department. "We are pleased with it totally, not only in the numbers, but also in the quality and experience levels of the people who have applied." Hall said this was the first time he could remember the labor department holding a career fair to fill positions. The department already had more than 1,000 applicants by the end of the fair. It will continue accepting applications through Friday at midnight, either faxed, mailed or online (www.dol.state.ga.us). By 9:30 a.m., about 200 were already waiting in line for the fair slated to start 30 minutes later. Many of the hopefuls came armed with resumes, looking for employment in a turbulent job market. "I'm not sure which job I'll apply for," said Joscelyn Brooks, who lives in nearby Sugar Valley. "I'm just looking for a job, period. This is a great opportunity for a lot of people who are struggling. I just wish there were more jobs to go around." Inside the trade center, a team of 35 labor department employees directed job hunters to tables to fill out applications the old-fashioned way or to one of 60 computers to apply online. Brian White of Ringgold has been out of work for several months. He hoped to catch on with the labor department as a help-desk specialist, but wasn't sure if he would apply. "I hope I have the kind of experience they're looking for," he said. The unemployment rate in the area has remained high. The preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Dalton (Murray and Whitfield counties) was unchanged at 11.7 percent from June to July. The jobless rate in metro Dalton in July 2009 was 12.7 percent. Whitfield County's July unemployment rate was 11.6 percent. Hancock County had the highest jobless rate in the state at 19.8 percent. DAS is a specialized program of the labor department's Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), which coordinates with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to make disability determinations for Georgia citizens who apply for programs administered by the SSA. For more information on the jobs, visit www.dol.state.ga.us. Click on the "Jobseekers" tab, then the "Find a Job" link, then the "Employment Opportunities With GDOL" link, and finally the link to "Current Job Opportunities." Search the listings for jobs located with Disability Adjudication Services in Dalton. A link to a State of Georgia Employment Application is provided at the bottom of the page. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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