Carson Job Fair Draws Big Crowds

About 1,200 people showed up for an annual job fair Wednesday on the campus of Ivy Tech.

When U.S. Congressman Andre Carson started the event in 2010 the Indianapolis area unemployment rate was at 9.6 according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Today the rate is 4.5, the lowest it’s been since before the recession.  

Carson says he’s just responding to what people in his district are concerned about.  

"Jobs, jobs, jobs and the economy," said Carson, "behind education and other things it was jobs and as a Representative we’re here to meet those needs."

Yaza Swe is an employment specialist at Exodus Refugee Immigration.  He works to connect people coming to Indiana with jobs and says he’s seen the market steadily improving.

"So much better, we have big job markets around here and I feel like the wage has gone up a little bit," commented Swe, "they used to pay like $8.50 and hour and now they want to pay $10 and hour, which is great."

But Mark Miller has been looking for a job since 2011 and says he’s had a hard time getting his foot in the door.

"They either that you’re not qualified or you’re not what they’re looking for, so it’s hard." said Miller.

Carson’s job fair was the largest yet with over 130 employers offering around 3,000 open positions.