By Billy Davis

Job seekers are expected to flood the floor of the Batesville Civic Center Thursday morning when the Northwest Mississippi Area Job Fair makes its annual return to Batesville.

The civic center doors will open at 9 a.m. Thursday. The job fair will continue until 2 p.m.

The 2007 job fair lured 59 employers, purportedly the largest employer turnout in the state, to the BCC. More than 1,100 job applicants walked the booths and more than 500 job offers were made during the day.

This week, 54 employers ranging from casinos and Cracker Barrel to Avon and the U.S. military have forked over $150 to reserve booth space.

“We had some really good results last year, so we’re looking forward to the same this year,” Golden Living Center administrator Toni Lambert said Monday.

The Golden Living nursing home chain is advertising job openings for two licensed positions, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licenced practical nurses (LPNs), and also dietary aides.  

The job fair is part of the Governor’s Job Fair Network, initiated by Gov. Haley Barbour. The job fairs are coordinated with the Miss. Department of Employment Security and Batesville’s WIN Job Center is an agency within MDES and participates in planning the event.

More information about the Northwest Mississippi job fair can be found at the Web site www.jobfairs.ms.gov.