More than 5,000 people showed up for a job fair at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis. Congressman Lacy Clay says it’s fantastic that so many people were able to make contact with more than a hundred companies like Boeing, Express Scripts, Wells Fargo, and CVS; as well as numerous casinos and law enforcement agencies. But Clay says the huge turnout also demonstrates the major need.

“It shows the urgency of unemployment and underemployment in the 1st Congressional District and throughout the St. Louis region,” Clay said.

Clay says this is the fifth year his office has sponsored the job fair, and the attendance was by far the most they’d ever seen at the event. Clay says he’s encouraged to see so many people taking the initiative to find work, but says it will take some endurance.

“The message to everyone seeking employment is to keep looking around. We had them all in one place so you could go to more than 100… But keep looking, don’t get discouraged, and try to find the job that fits you,” Clay said.