BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) -
Both on the local and the national level, the jobs outlook is beginning to look up. The national unemployment rate fell below 8-percent recently and now stands at 7.8 percent. In Shreveport-Bossier City, the jobless rate stands even lower than that at 7.2 percent, according to the Louisiana Labor Department. With that in mind, the latest KSLA Employment Expo attracted another big crowd this time around.
Here at the KSLA Employment Expo at the Pierre Bossier Mall in Bossier City on Thursday (10/18/12), job seekers were eager to come face to face with companies actually hiring these days. "As far as me, myself, I've been having problems getting a job," said Olivia Maxwell of Shreveport. She was just one of the hundreds of people who took advantage of this KSLA Employment Expo, held twice a year.
Maxwell elaborated, "I can do a job (if) people just give me a chance. I mean, I have had so many problems trying to get a job. It's just not even funny."
Other job seekers described being very flexible in what positions to consider, like Kari Lupton. "Right now, just really anything just something, so I can start taking care of this one (laugh)," referring to her one year old daughter in the stroller beside Lupton. But for this new mother, she has a big challenge: "(Lack of) Experience in jobs."
The nearly dozen companies that turned out for the expo are hiring, like Sam's Town Casino and Wendy's, to name just a few. "Various positions from crew member to shift supervisor, restaurant manager, general manager. So, we have a lot of openings here in the Shreveport area. So, looking for a lot of talent today," explained Wendy's recruiter Ashley Register.
As tough as the job market seems to be right now, prospective employers say that they need people. In fact, they know exactly what they're looking for. That included Emily Roberson, a recruiter with United Engines who told us, "I think that first impressions are very important. I think you can tell someone's work ethic, I think you can tell how willing they are to do what it takes to help the company."
And Roberson said that by 90-minutes into the expo, they had already found several potential new hires. Last May, more than a thousand people attended the KSLA Employment Expo at Pierre Bossier Mall. And hundreds showed up to this latest career fair, as well.
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