Job fair draws hundreds of unemployed

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Hundreds of people packed the Citadel Outlets Thursday morning. They wanted jobs.

Anna Wells, a sales manager for United Colors of Benetton, said unemployment is high among applicants today, with 75 percent of job-seekers currently unemployed.

Just a few hundred feet away, Jesse Hood, Jr. recruited people for the local Ironworkers #16 union.

"You see all these people looking for jobs, and it's sad," Hood said.

Hood said there are plenty of jobs that need to be done, but no money is available to complete them. The union is slated to work on projects from the Rose Bowl to the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, but construction has been halted.

Despite the large crowds vying for the same job, 20-year-old John Baez said he will probably be okay.

"It looks like a lot of competition, but I'm confident I can get a job," Baez said.

The hundreds who filled out applications and distributed resumes share the same hope as Baez.