PORTLAND, Ore. -- With the jobless rate in Oregon hovering at about 9 percent, some unemployed people found themselves at a job fair in Portland on Wednesday.

The job fair drew a cross section of the unemployed to the basement of the Hilton Hotel.

David Grimmett said he’s lived in Portland for 14 years and was laid off from his heavy equipment operator’s job in November.

"A lot of projects that normally we’d be able to sell rock to have slowed way down. That causes our company to lay a lot of us off," Grimmett said.

Some people who came to the job fair had been laid off for even longer than Grimmett. Many didn’t see much opportunity there.

"A lot for people who want to do sales. That’s not what I do. I saw a lot of recruiting for military and security. And being that I’m 45 years old," said Michael Davidson who was job hunting.

The fair was staged by the Employment Guide, a national company that does printed and online job matching.

Organizers said they had to work hard to bring employers to the fair.

"Business is still going, for the most part, and while they may not be in the growth stage, most companies are still having turnover for some mission critical positions they need to fill," job fair organizer Brian Larson said.

The kind of industries that brought big paychecks to Oregon workers in recent years were mostly absent from the fair.

But not all jobs require a hard hat. Many resumes and applications later, some were hopeful they’d found a match.

Some folks were considering an outfit that does temporary and long-term hiring contracts.

"We can help people with two or three days temporary, but we focus on 90-day contract to hire. Basically, long-term fits for people," said Adam Perkins of Opti Staffing.

But others said they are hoping to find themselves back in a job they have experience in when the federal stimulus kicks in.

High Unemployment Level Fuels Job Fair