Pocono News Section

Employers Say There's Hope for Jobless

Employers Say There's Hope for Jobless - Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 7:25PM EST

Reported by: Kyla Campbell
Thursday, Sep 17, 2009 @ 07:25pm EDT

BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY -- The buzz this week from national economic experts is that the recession is over. However, unemployment continues to rise. Some of those jobless folks packed a job fair at the Columbia Mall. Some tell us they've been looking for work for months, but some business owners say there's hope ahead.

"It's very tough right now," said Jody Roup of Catawissa. "If you're not working, it's really tough to find a job. I've been looking for most of the year now."

"I'm looking for something," said Jeremy Harner of Berwick. "I'm a college student, and I've dropped from full-time down to part-time."

Dozens more went to the Columbia Mall for Thursday's job fair.

Brick Kepler is the director of the Professional Drivers Academy of Milton. He says truck drivers are always needed.

"Truck drivers haul everything that's in this mall," said Kepler. "Without trucks, America stops. So there's jobs there for everybody."

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he believes the recession is like over. Kydex LLC out of Bloomsburg has seen growth over the past few months.

"Our business is picking up. That's why we're here," said Pat Fox from Kydex. "I'm hoping it stays that way and we continue to add jobs to the community."

Roup thinks that's the exception, not the rule.

"I kind of disagree with that," said Roup. "I haven't seen any real improvements yet."