Sep. 12--The timing of a major job fair next week in Columbus couldn't be better, it would appear.

Consider these factors:

The city's unemployment rate spiked to 7 percent in July, the highest it has been in 15 years.

Two large employers in Columbus confirmed Wednesday they will be cutting 450 jobs within the next few months.

Then on Thursday, the Georgia Department of Labor reported that significantly more people statewide filed for initial jobless benefits in August compared to one year ago. In Columbus, the number of people filing first-time claims shot up nearly 76 percent.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond noted the surge in claims was the most dramatic since a tragic moment in U.S. history -- the month following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Throughout the state, tens of thousands of hard-working Georgians are being laid off because of deteriorating economic conditions," he said.

The job fair taking place Wednesday and Thursday in Columbus looks to have a mix of 70 corporate employers, educational institutions, and state and law enforcement agencies. The event, being held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, is at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 665, 1824 Victory Drive.

It comes on the heels of bankholding company Synovus Financial Corp. disclosing plans to cut 230 local jobs, while Capital One's GreenPoint Mortgage service center will close and leave 220 people out of work. The layoffs are expected to begin in early January.

Losing so many financial sector jobs at one time will hurt, said Jamie Loyd, manager of the Labor Department's Columbus Career Center. Nationally, banks and mortgage operations have shed tens of thousands of workers collectively over the last couple of years as the economy soured due to the housing crunch, tightening credit standards and rising fuel and food prices.

The Synovus and GreenPoint cuts hit home, Loyd said, and will certainly put pressure on the local employment market.

"There will be jobs in which we can absorb some of the workers," he said. "The service sector is certainly looking to expand, and the education sector, but not necessarily the financial market sector."

A quick check Thursday of local major companies' employment sites indicated there isn't a plethora of jobs out there, however. The site of credit-card processor TSYS listed 74 available positions, while supplemental insurer Aflac had 49 jobs posted on its Web site.

The Muscogee County School District, Columbus Consolidated Government and WellPoint (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia) had far fewer on their career opportunity pages.