Hundreds turn out at Aldi job fair

Hundreds of people turned out to a job fair in Atlanta on Thursday.

Americans continue to struggle with higher prices and fewer jobs according to the latest economic date.

Producer prices rose by the most in three years, largely due to a surge in energy costs. In the meantime, the number of jobless claims has increased, while those who have a job are making less, according to the U.S census.

But if you look hard enough, there are some rays of economic sunshine.

Joyce Freeman drove to Atlanta from Gordon, Ga. on Thursday to apply for a job.

She and her husband lost their small business in Atlanta three years ago. While he has found work in rural Georgia, it has been harder for 58-year-old Joyce.

Joyce applied with Aldi Foods on Thursday.  The grocery store chain says it's prospering and hiring, holding job fairs in Atlanta.

Gordon Stewart at Aldi said that more than 1,100 people had applied at one of three locations for 30 to 50 jobs.  But these are fulltime jobs – an indication that business is good for the grocery store chain.

"Aldi is booming. We're in a great time right now selling a ton of groceries. We've got plans to open more and more stores, which means more and more positions over the next couple of years," said Stewart.

Joyce said that while she could do the cashier job, she'd like to be trained for a management position.

If Joyce gets a job, she will have to work in a separate city from her husband who is in middle Georgia.
But she said that sacrifice is needed to make ends meet.

Federal chairman Ben Bernanke told reporters today that the employment situation remains a grave concern because the economy has not grown fast enough to make significant progress in reducing unemployment.  

The Fed hopes its latest efforts will start to do that.