The unemployment rate for Pennsylvania has dropped to a low 5.4 percent and CareerLink is working to lower the rate even more.

The six annual Career/Job Fair sponsored by CareerLink and The Carbon County Chamber of Commerce took place Wednesday afternoon at the Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton.Fifty vendors set up tables along the conference room, giving applicants a chance for a face to face first impression opportunity with future employers.Months of planning are needed to put together the annual event."In February we find our location and then set a date. We send out our save the dates to employers early. It's a chance to meet in person, for job seekers to have an interview right on the spot," CareerLink program supervisor Lisa Price said."One of the problems is everything is online now. You never know if they get the application or not. It's better to meet people in person," job hopeful Jeremy Smith of Lehighton said.Employers such as Kresge Electric were on hand looking for employees who really wanted to work. "We are looking for a bunch of positions, sales and technicians. We are looking for someone who is hard working with strong leadership skills," owner Shawn Kresge said.Gonnella from Hazel Township brought loaves of the factory's baked raisin bread to the fair to entice future employees to the table. Gonnella is looking for many applicants to fill the variety of positions at the Humboldt Industrial Park site including production, packing and mechanic maintenance.Pennsylvania's Liquor Control Board set up a booth to let job seekers know about the seasonal, part-time and full-time Wine and Spirits clerk positions available. Roughly 500 positions scattered throughout the state are currently available.Lehigh Carbon Community College was present with continuing education information for potential students.Triangle Tech was also on hand making known the many trade job opportunities."A lot of businesses here today offer positions you can raise a family on," Carbon County Chamber of Commerce's Alice Wanamaker, member relations director said. "We like helping people find employment here in Carbon County and keeping people in the area," she said.More than 200 people were walking the three career rows by 1 p.m."It's been a variety of people. Some older workers, young people just out of high school, or people looking to change careers," Lisa Price CareerLink's program supervisor said.Freshly graduated Samantha Rimbey of Jim Thorpe just received a degree in geo science and is looking to find full time work to help pay her loans down before heading to graduate school. "I've stopped at almost every table except health. A lot of construction companies will have someone who knows about the environment work for them to help with codes and permits," Rimbey said.Along with the standard employment services offered by CareerLink, the organization has worked to help military veterans cross employment barriers to find a job or start a new career.The best advice Price gave to hopeful applicants is to follow up with the employer within 24 to 48 hours.Anyone who may have missed their chance to shake hands with an employer in person can visit the website at

www.jobsgateway.pa.org for a complete list of opportunities and services.