The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an initiative called “Hiring our Heroes” next Thursday with a job fair in Chicago — the first of 100 job fairs for veterans across the country.

“There are 12 million veterans in the workforce and over a million of them are unemployed,” said Kevin Schmiegel, the chamber’s vice president. He said about 40,000 reside in Illinois.

The fairs are being done in partnership with local organizations, including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, to help reach the veteran community.

The fair will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Drive.

Companies at the event will include AT&T, Comcast, CVS Caremark, Delta, FedEx Express, McDonald’s, Navistar, and Walmart.