“Governor Christie’s administration is tackling the unemployment situation head-on in New Jersey, in part by bringing together job-seekers with the employers who have job openings. This job fair is intended to help our young people, who have been among the hardest hit by unemployment,” said LWD Commissioner Harold J. Wirths.

Employers, including Lowes, Chase, Lord & Taylor, American Financial Resources and others, staffed tables at the event to recruit young adults searching for jobs. Recent surveys indicate people graduating from high school and college are having one of the most difficult times finding employment in the nation’s history. High school graduates are even less likely than college graduates to land jobs.

“Today we are offering young people a chance for a job, whether it is just for the summer, a part-time position or something more permanent. It is a chance for some type of work, which is important for them,” said William Weightman, manager of the Sussex County One-Stop.

Governor Christie’s administration has worked to help all unemployed people through innovative programs such as Jobs4Jersey.com, a free website service that offers links to training, public services and an on-line resume service known as OnRamp. OnRamp enables job-seekers to create and circulate resumes to showcase their skills for thousands of employers.

Jobs4Jersey.com, which was highlighted for jobs-seekers at the Sussex County job fair, holds more than 120,000 job openings in New Jersey and nearly 258,000 jobs within a 50 mile radius.

Workforce and labor planning analysts at the LWD report that people can improve their opportunities of finding employment in the careers of their choice by being employed in some type of job during their search. By taking part-time jobs or even by volunteering their services, people can fill in resume gaps and actively network themselves to create opportunities for full-time employment.

Education and training are important. Federal statistics for New Jersey show unemployment is higher among people with less than a high school diploma: 11.1 percent vs. 10.3 percent for people with a high school diploma. The unemployment rate among people with some college education or an associate’s degree is 9.9 percent, while the unemployment rate among people with a bachelor’s degree and higher is at 4.8 percent.

-30-