Carper, Coons, Carney host job fair for 1,400 job seekers

NEWARK, Del. – A job fair hosted on Wednesday by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative John Carney, in conjunction with Brandywine Counseling, drew 1,400 job seekers who came to meet with 70 employers at the Embassy Suites in Newark. Combined, the employers were hiring for more than 1,100 open positions.

“Today’s job fair brought together dozens of employers ready to hire with job-seekers from across the First State ready for new employment,” Senator Carper said. “Helping to create a nurturing environment for job creation in Delaware and across the country remains one of my top priorities. I hope that, in some small way, this event that Chris, John and I put together will help more Delawareans find jobs and help our state continue its drive toward a robust economic recovery.”

“With tens of thousands of Delawareans still looking for work, these job fairs are a way to make a real difference in our neighbors’ lives,” Senator Coons said. “Our goal for this and for each of our job fairs has been to help Delawareans access these new opportunities and resources for getting a job, and I’m optimistic that today’s job fair did that. Even with the threat of disruptive weather, to have this many employers come out today, ready to hire, was really encouraging. I can’t wait to hear from our neighbors who found a job today, and remain fiercely committed to helping the Delawareans who weren’t so fortunate.”

“Today’s job fair connected more than a thousand job seeker with 70 employers looking to hire,” Congressman Carney said. “There was a wide array of industries represented, from financial services and healthcare companies to higher education, government agencies, and non-profits. Today’s job market is still very competitive. I encourage everyone who attended today to take advantage of the connections they made and follow-up with prospective employers. I’m looking forward to partnering with Sen. Carper and Sen. Coons again in the coming months to host job fairs in Kent and Sussex counties.”

Senator Carper, Senator Coons, and Congressman Carney will host additional job fairs in Sussex County in April and in Kent County in June.

In 2012, the Congressional delegation hosted four jobs fairs across Delaware — one in each county and one seasonal fair at the Christiana Mall — with a combined total of more than 5,000 job seekers attending. Job fairs in 2011 — also held in each county — attracted more than 4,900 people looking for work.