By Bill Parry
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) has put together an impressive array of potential employers for his fifth annual jobs fair this Thursday, July 9, at the Queens Center mall. The event is scheduled to take place at the Food Court from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Some of the employers participating at the fair include Coca-Cola Refreshments, Starbucks, Regal Cinemas, Madison Square Garden, the USTA Tennis Center and the NYPD and FDNY. In addition to employers, several service providers, including New York Cares, Elmcor Career Pathways and the Fortune Society, will be in attendance to offer career advice and help with resume preparation.
“While the economy is slowly improving and the unemployment rate is declining, New York families continue to struggle to make ends meet,” Peralta said. “I am hopeful this job fair will help unemployed individuals be able to provide for their families. Every potential job opportunity presented could mean a paycheck for our hard working neighbors.”
According to the New York State Department of Labor, the unemployment rate as of May 2015 in Queens is 5.2 percent compared to 6.4 percent in May of last year. In New York City, the unemployment rate decreased from 7.3 percent in May 2014 to 5.9 percent last month.
Statistics indicate that in Queens, 1,119,700 people were employed as of last month, compared to 1,079,500 in May 2014. “Currently, there are more than 61,000 job seekers in Queens, so this jobs fair is an opportunity for them to find a job,” Peralta said. “I encourage all of those seeking a job to drop by the job fair at the Queens Center with plenty of copies of their resumes.”
Adrian Bordoni, the executive director of Woodside on the Move, said, “This job fair is a result of the demand by a qualified pool of workers from Queens wishing to participate in our ever-expanding local economy.”
It is the second year in a row that Queens Center mall is hosting the event and they are expecting as many as 2,000 job applicants Thursday.
“We believe it is important for the Mall to engage in activities like these that support our neighbors,” Senior Manager for Marketing for Queens Center John Scaturro said. “By bringing together community businesses and mall retailers seeking qualified employees with local job seekers, we see this job fair as a win/win for everyone.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
