Two employment-staffing firms will hold job fairs this week in Raleigh to fill more than 600 positions.

The mass-hiring efforts come as the state unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent in June, the first increase in more than a year, and the highest level since last fall.

Manpower will hold job fairs Tuesday and Saturday at its local office at 1122 Oberlin Road to fill more than 200 customer-service positions at a call center. The contract jobs will pay about $13 an hour, and will end on a staggered basis starting in mid-December.

Kelly Services expects hundreds to turn out for its fair on Thursday and wants to fill the jobs within the next few weeks. The agency is recruiting 400 employees for two clients: