By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D) from Selma announced in a written statement that the 2nd Annual Congressional Job Fair will be held on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 in Selma. The Seventh Congressional District job fair will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wallace Community College in Selma. The college is located at 3000 Earl Goodwin Parkway, Selma, Alabama 36703.
Employer participants include, but are not limited to, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing, the Selma Career Center, Rock Tenn Company, International Paper, Wal-Mart Selma, Wells Fargo Bank, Golden Dragon Copper Inc., Regions Bank, AT&T, and the State of Alabama Personnel Department.
Rep. Sewell said, “I look forward to hosting this event.”
Rep. Sewell sponsored her first job fair last year. Over 100 employers including the City of Birmingham, Best Buy, Verizen, AT&T, the U.S. Army, UAB, etc were on hand to take applications from over a thousand job seekers at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC).
Unemployment has decreased in Alabama since the depths of the Great Recession, but there are still too many jobless Alabamians. The official unemployment number does not include the underemployed, people who have given up looking for work and youth just trying to enter the work force. In parts of Rep. Sewell’s district the unemployment rate is 15% or greater.
The first job fair was very successful in drawing attendees and probably drew more than the planners were prepared for. Over a thousand job seekers turned out to the Birmingham event. Rep. Sewell said afterwards on Facebook,
“Thank you all for your participation in Job Fair 2012. I really appreciate the endurance, patience and commitment shown as a result of the great demand for jobs. The overwhelming response to the event reflects a critical need for more initiatives to provide access to employment opportunities and resources in our community. I am proud that my office is working to address the unemployment crisis in our district and we will continue to fight for greater economic opportunities for our constituents.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. She is the only Democrat in Alabama’s Congressional delegation.
