November 7, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9093

(Washington, DC) Chairman Larry Craig of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao will be in Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday to kick-off the first-ever "HireVetsFirst" national job fair, which is being held in conjunction with the National Veterans Employment Summit.

More than 2,000 veterans are expected to attend, along with 300 employers who have signed up as sponsors. The Department of Labor staff indicate that 65 recruiting booths will be available for veterans to meet with potential employers.

"I am excited to be a part of this effort and look forward to the planned round table discussion with Secretary Chao. While veterans as a whole have higher employment rates than non-veterans, I continue to be concerned about younger veterans who have difficulties finding good jobs," said Sen. Craig (R-Idaho).

The U.S. economy has done well in the past two years and the overall employment rate for all Americans is now at 95.6 percent. Veterans are doing even better - their employment rate is 96.5 percent. But in 2005 the unemployment rate for veterans ages 20 to 24 years old was over 15 percent. As of October 2006, that number had improved to just over 11 percent.

WHO

• U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
• U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs
• Charles S. Ciccolella, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training 

WHAT

• Summit from 9 AM to noon EST
• Job Fair from noon to 4 PM EST
• Veterans Employment Round Table, 2:30 to 3:30 PM EST

WHERE: Norfolk Scope Arena, 201 E. Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia.

#####