Of all the responsibilities of my office, none is more important to me than doing everything I can to help provide opportunities for Delawareans to better their lives. Right now, too many are out of work, and the best thing I can do – the most important job I can do – is to help them find work. That is why I hosted a job fair yesterday in Wilmington and invited more than 80 companies and academic institutions to participate.
I was both excited and humbled when more than 2,200 people showed up, résumés in hand. While I certainly was thrilled that so many Delawareans heard about the fair and decided to take advantage of it, at the same time I was upset to hear the many stories of those who have been out of work for so long.
I heard the story of one woman who had worked in the corporate world earlier in her career but left a lucrative job for a lower-paying position at a non-profit helping her community. When the recession hit, donations slowed to a trickle, and the non-profit had to cut back its services and lay her off along with other staff. Since that time, she has been working temporary jobs below her experience level. She told one of my staffers that she “had a good feeling about the jobs fair” and needed it to work out, not only for her but for her young daughter as well.
Another woman who came to the jobs fair said she was laid off just this past Friday, and she hoped to find new work quickly so she would not have to skip a bill payment or lose her insurance coverage. Though hiring is beginning to rebound, some are still facing layoffs. Thankfully, she met with several potential employers with the promise of at least one follow-up call.
While I am encouraged by the success of yesterday’s job fair, especially by the number of ready-to-hire employers and the resolve of those who have been job seekers for too long, it is clear that much remains to be done.
This is why I have made jobs the number one focus of my work in the Senate. It is why I used my first speech on the Senate floor – an important tradition for a new senator – to speak about the need for long-term investments in growing our high-tech and clean energy manufacturing sector and highlighting Delaware’s leadership in this area already.
In such a way, we can heed the President’s call to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-compete the rest of the world in the twenty-first century.
I continue to have a deep faith in the American people and the people of our state, that when we struggle we grow stronger; that when we start to fall behind, it provides a new opportunity to look farther ahead.
For all those still unemployed, know that you are not the only one working tirelessly to get you back to work. I know that finding employment is the most important job you have right now, and that is why it is my most important job as well.