Job fairs at the Aiken Goodwill Job Connection usually attract several hundred people seeking work, but for the latest one Wednesday, attendance was down significantly.
"It has been fairly slow and steady, and right now, we have seen just under 100 folks," said Jennifer Hart, the community director for the Goodwill Aiken Campus, with about an hour remaining in the three-hour event.
"It's the lowest turnout we've ever had for one of our major fairs," she added.
Hart wasn't sure what caused the decline, but she thought the development could be a positive sign.
"I would like to think that we are doing such a good job on a daily basis with the job seekers who come through here in connecting them to employers that they don't necessarily need a job fair," she said. "I also would like to think that the economy in general is turning around some."
Businesses with representatives at the job fair included ASCO Valve, Dumpster Depot, Bi-Lo, Lowe's and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
"I've spoken with most of the employers, and they have been very happy with the people that they've met," Hart said. "They have seen a lot of quality candidates."
Jose Roman, 22, was among the participants hoping to find a position. He formerly worked at the Urban Outfitters Ecommerce Fulfillment Center in Trenton. Earlier this year, Urban Outfitters officials announced that the center would close and be replaced by another facility in Pennsylvania.
"I'm looking for a job, any type of job, really," Roman said. "I need something to pay the bills. They (Urban Outfitters) gave me a chance to go to Pennsylvania, but I have a home in Aiken and I've got a kid. They wouldn't move my family, and I didn't want to start all over somewhere else."
After exploring the employment opportunities that were offered at the fair, Roman was optimistic because he discovered some promising job leads.
"It's been good," he said. "I found some positions that were open at Lowe's, and there is a full-time job caring for floors in a hospital."
The Goodwill Aiken Campus is part of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA.
"In 2014, we helped more than 500 people obtain employment out of this one office in Aiken County," Hart said.
Goodwill Industries Week is May 3 through Saturday.
Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013.