The government says unemployment rose in 30 states in January, fortunately, South Dakota wasn't one of them.But with a jobless rate of 4.8 percent last month, the Mount Rushmore State still has plenty of people looking for ways to make a living. Many of them took their search to the annual Black Hills Regional Job Fair Wednesday.Event organizers say the fact that close to 100 exhibitors were on hand is a good sign that businesses are starting to hire.

But for people still having a hard time finding work in a profession they know, there were also colleges and universities here Wednesday to perhaps offer those people training in a new profession.

Julie Smith with the Black Hills Regional Job Fair Committee says, "Since there's so many people looking for jobs, it's really an employers' market. So it's good to have the educational institutions here as well that can offer classes so people can upgrade their skills."

Smith says about 2,000 people attend the job fair each year.

Julie Oberlander