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Jon Zeman was born and raised in Juneau, then headed south to pursue employment in the spa industry in the San Francisco area. But in an economy where luxuries are replaced with basic needs, Zeman found himself out of work. Two days ago he moved back to Southeast. His goal: find a job in Juneau.

"It's been pretty rough," Zeman said of his four-month hunt for employment. "Everybody's being laid off. Most of the jobs I applied for had a couple hundred applicants."

But Zeman, who has a degree in business administration and marketing management, is hopeful he'll find work in Juneau. He was one of many looking for work at Wednesday's job fair held at Centennial Hall.

"This is one of the better job fairs I've been to. I went to a couple in the Oakland area, but they were smaller than this," he said. "You (had) your Marines, your Army and your banks, but that was about it. It was surprising."

Phillip Patch also moved back to Alaska recently. He returned to be closer to his children, and as a former member of the U.S. Army, he also is confident he'll find employment in Alaska.

"You gotta look deeper. It's not what you know here, it's who," he said.

And while the Lower 48 might be reeling from the economic downturn, employers in the area say things seem to be business as usual.

Emily Krogstad, tourism and education manager for the Douglas Island Pink and Chum hatchery, said inquiries from job seekers are growing.

"We've just now had applications coming in," she said. "People are calling up saying, 'Are you hiring?' This is pretty standard for this time of year."

Matt Despain, owner of Alaska Zipline Adventures, echoed a similar story.

"This year, more and more we're having people come find us," he said.

Despain said this season is shaping up to be similar to last. Hits on the company's Web site are in line with last year's tally. But he admitted that, as a small business owner, he's keeping his fingers crossed.

"It's hard to say because we are a seasonal business," he said. "We had a great season last year. We'll see what happens this year."

For larger businesses, the influx of those looking for work is good for business.

Eric Hotchkiss, a human resources recruiter with Bartlett Regional Hospital, said he's seen a lot of vital positions filled with qualified applicants.

"I'm seeing a lot more interest (because of the recession)," he said. "More (qualified) people are looking for a job."