From the looks of the growing NIU job fair, signs show that the economy may be heating up.

“I hope that the number of employers coinciding with the growing economy isn’t just wishful thinking on my part,” said Jean Callary, assistant director of Career Planning and Placement Center. “The employers are also making encouraging sounds.”

According to a press release, last year’s fair drew 125 companies, and they expect to top that number by 15 to 20 percent this year.

Job fairs at NIU traditionally have been some of the largest on-campus job fairs in the nation, but employer turnout for the event hit an all-time low in the spring of 2002 when only 93 companies came to recruit, a press release said.

“At that time, companies would cancel all over the place,” Callary said.

On the other hand, the number of employers seems to grow with the the status of the economy.

“When the economy was really good a couple of years ago in 1998, we got a turnout of 240 companies at our job fair,” Callary said.

The employers signed up to recruit members have been more diversified, but with an emphasis in the technical fields, Callary said.

Other faculty members have attributed attendance to the economy growing.

“The economy is definitely growing because employers are showing more interest in internships which is often a prelude to full time employment,” said Douglas Davis, director of the Cooperative Internship Education Program.