After a quarter century, Margaret Jones’ job was outsourced, and now she’s finding the online employment search very difficult.
“It’s impossible if you don’t have the personal touch,” she said.
But job fairs hosted by the New York State Department of Labor are imbuing her with a new hope.
“I’m going to get a job,” she said at York College on Thursday, June 7, when seven statewide simultaneous job fairs brought out 375 potential employers. “I can’t afford to be unemployed. It’s good to know that the government is helping us.”
Meva V. Foster, a resident of Rosedale, has been unemployed for the past two years and sends out a new application for a job every day.
“It’s so frustrating, but you can’t give up,” she said. “I hate staying in the house, I hate calling unemployment.”
She said the job fair provided her with an opportunity to get her resume seen on-site by employers; some even offered interviews.
The New York State Department of Labor is also involved with a program called NY Youth Works, which gives businesses up to $4,000 ($500 dollars a month for eight months) in tax credit to hire eligible job seekers ages 16-24. The program has 10,500 certified Youth Works jobs ready statewide to be filled by local talent.
“I have more jobs than kids right now,” said Rachel Gold, special counsel for the Department of Labor. “The youth aren’t hearing us, so we’re trying now to reach out directly to them.”
