North Texas job fair draws 68,000 as job seekers face AI‑driven hiring challenges
People packed inside Globe Life Field in Arlington on Thursday, but they weren't cheering on the Texas Rangers – they were hoping to score a job.
"I'm from New Braunfels, Texas, and it was about a 4.5‑hour drive. I want to get my foot in the door really early. I know for new nurses, it's going to be really competitive," Dilsa Lalji said.
About 68,000 job seekers filled the stadium, facing roughly 670 employers looking to hire. The North Texas Job Fair is hosted by Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne.
"I think what makes this a lot different is one, it's all under the same roof, but also if previous years are any indication, about 30% of the jobs are $100,000‑and‑above jobs," Van Duyne (R‑Texas) said.
Open positions ranged from medicine and finance to transportation and technology.
"The job market is not good right now. I've been looking for about six months, graduated last year, and I can't get a single interview," Logan Wetmore said.
Wetmore isn't alone. In June, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2%, including 4.4% in Texas – something Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said the federal government is working to address.
"We're working very closely with the Texas workforce boards and the education systems, and what we want is to make sure that those workers who want to get back in the workforce have the opportunities to have the skills for these high‑paying, private‑sector jobs," Sonderling said.
A recent report shows that 26% of all layoffs are tied to artificial intelligence, and many candidates at the job fair said AI has affected their job searches.
"I've heard people use AI for their cover letters, their resumes, and then employers to kind of narrow down their search to find the people they're looking for," Lalji said.
"AI is a big problem. It just scans my resume. It doesn't think I'm good enough, and no human ever sees it," Wetmore said.
Wetmore and others hope that meeting employers face‑to‑face will be the key to landing a coveted job.
