ADA, OK - Statistics released today by the U.S. Labor Department show jobless claims rose to half a million for the first time since November. In an effort to help the local unemployed, several agencies in Ada came together Thursday to host a job fair.

Oklahoma's unemployment rate currently sits well below than the national average at six point eight percent, but for many Oklahomans still looking for jobs the tireless hunt can be frustrating. On Thursday job seekers in Ada got the opportunity to meet several different employers in one location.

Over 450 job seekers filled the Pontotoc County Agri Plex Thursday for the 11th annual Ada Area Job Fair, all hoping to find the job they've been looking for.

"I've been searching online and that can get frustrating. Hours upon hours and hours just finding the job, and then taking an hour or two to apply," says job seeker Stephanie Harris.

Several different agencies from Workforce Oklahoma to the Chickasaw Nation helped put on the fair. Program manager for the Office of Career Services Darrell Walker says their goal is to make it easier for employers and potential employees to find each other.

"Basically we want to bring a lot of employers in so that the job seekers can just come to one place and apply for several different jobs because we know with the price of gas today that it's good that we can have all the employers in one place," Walker says.

The fair offered a wide spectrum of job opportunities from retail and insurance to health care and federal jobs. Stephanie Harris says the fair has opened her eyes to jobs she otherwise might have missed.

"I've seen quite a few and even some that I would never have thought of considering have put a little thought in my mind and making me consider different job options," Harris says.

Walker says the job fair also helps employers build a contact base of potential employees that they can contact when future positions become open.

"It also gives our employers a list of job seekers for later on when they do start hiring."

And while not everyone who attended the fair walked out with a job guarantee, Walker says he hopes the fair was beneficial to everyone who came.

"If we can just get one person hired it would be worth it to me because one person can make a difference in the lives of so many other people, so we're just looking for those employees that are willing to work."

If you weren't able to make it to the job fair, you can still apply for many of the positions online at the links below.

On the Web:

www.chickasaw-government-nsn.gov/about_us/index_56.htm

www.swb-ok.com

www.workforceok.org