BRIDGEPORT, CT (WCBS 880) - Jobs were the topic at a roundtable discussion in Bridgeport Thursday morning, where they were trying to find solutions to America’s employment crisis and to assist those who’ve been out of work for a long time.

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At The Workplace in Bridgeport, employers find talent and workers get prepped for career advancement.

During today’s discussion, Rep. Jim Himes said even when the economy is back on its feet, the job market will have changed and he says it’s the obligation of those seeking jobs to keep their skills up to speed.

“In contrast to our parents and our grandparents we’ve got an obligation to educate ourselves, to keep our skills current, to stay competitive in a way that I that think we’ve never experienced,” he said.

Experts there say finding jobs today is twice as difficult as it was prior to the economic downturn.

Rep. Chris Murphy spoke of the ongoing battle in Congress to keep unemployment benefits flowing.

“We’re also having the same fight when it comes to job retaining. The budget that was presented to the House of Representatives at the beginning of 2011 proposed cutting job training funding in this country by $3 billion,” he said.

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