About 135 employers and an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 job seekers jammed the Blaisdell Center's Exhibition Hall for today's WorkForce job fair.

The number of employers is up about 20 percent from last year, indicating that businesses may be ready to increase hiring as the economy recovers, said Beth Busch, the job fair's executive director.

Employers recruiting at the job fair included fast food companies, hotels, financial services firms, retailers, law enforcement agencies and defense contractors.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism issued a report today saying that job growth is expected to gradually turn positive this year.