Thousands attend Fort Bragg job fair

"I have my degree in business administration, so I'm looking for an office job,” job seeker Nicole Lewis said.

Lewis, 37, was among the more than 2,000 people who attended a FORSCOM job fair Friday.

"The average salary for the headquarters of Forces Command is about $80,000 a year," said Ronna Garrett, human resources director for FORSCOM. "We're here to try to canvas, kind of cast the net for different occupations."

Job seeker Nadine Turner, 30, said her college degree in human services is in line with the types of positions FORSCOM is looking to fill.

"I've been here since 2008 and I haven't gotten a job. I've worked in office settings, but with my degree, no, it has been hard,” she said.

FORSCOM is looking for resource management workers for such roles as accounting, budget, personnel and human resources.

Gerard Morrison put his resume on every job fair table Friday. The 41-year-old has been out of work for more than a year.

“I don’t care about holding back," Morrison said of his job search.

FORSCOM will begin hiring in the next month and has more job fairs planned. The headquarters building is scheduled to open in June 2011.

Another headquarters, the Army Reserve Command, is also Fort Bragg bound. That move could bring another 700 civilian jobs.

The relocation of the two commands comes as per capita income in Cumberland County is up. Propelled by deployments and military growth, per capita income rose 60 percent between 2001 and 2008 to $40,791. That's just $900 less than Wake County. In 2001, the county lagged behind Wake by $13,000.