Thousands attend Indiana job fair

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WLFI) - According to an estimate from Congressmen Steve Buyer's office, about 3,000 hopeful Hoosiers poured into the Crawfordsville High School gymnasium on April 6 in search of jobs.

Attendees came from many different backgrounds, but shared a unified goal.

"It was because of the economy that I lost my position. So I'm out here in hopes to get a position, a new position," said Janet Campbell, of Fishers.

"I was a quality assurance manager for a pharmaceutical research organization so I'm looking for something kind of in that field but at this point you take what you can find," said Ken Dillman, of Oxford.

"I've been laid off and I'm trying to find a lead for another good job--something with a more stable career," added Jeff Pitstick, of West Lafayette.

"I'm a single mom, I have three kids, and I'm trying to support them on ten dollars an hour, and that's just not cutting it," said Christal Perrine, of Greencastle.

Congressman Steve Buyer and State Senator Phil Boots co-hosted this Hoosier Job Fair.  Buyer said despite the downturn in the economy, there are jobs to be found.

"The economy is highly dynamic. So while there's individuals that may have lost their jobs, there are businesses that are expanding. And that's the capitalistic economic system and so now the key is to link these qualified employees up with particular jobs," said Buyer.

96 businesses were part of the Hoosier Job Fair, recruiting to fill more than 2800 positions.

"The largest employer here today is going to be the U.S. Department of Commerce and we have over a thousand jobs from the Department of Commerce and it's to prepare for the U.S. census," explained Buyer.

This was Buyer's 9th career fair. The six-hour event was free and open to all businesses and job-seekers.