More than a thousand job seekers of all ages filled an enormous Port Authority maintenance garage at JFK International Airport on Nov. 29 as the agency and Council for Airport Opportunity held a job fair to recruit workers and deliver economic benefits to neighboring communities.
With the construction underway on the massive $18 billion redevelopment project, the JFK Airport Job Fair featured more than 45 employers, including airlines, terminal operators, concessionaires and a wide array of companies that provide the support services needed to keep the airport running.
“At a JFK Senior Leadership Steering Committee in October, the issue of open jobs was raised by various terminal operators and other in-airport employers,” JFK International Airport General Manager Teresa Rizzuto said. “They have been experiencing challenges filling some key positions, especially as air travel in near pre-pandemic levels and the need to be fully staffed is even more urgent.”
A wide range of positions was available at the JFK Job Fair, including openings for customer service representatives and flight attendants for the airlines, food service positions, ramp agents, airport operations, retail workers, divers, and aircraft maintainers among other positions.
Officials from the TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were on hand to explain the process of receiving security clearance for anyone who is hired for jobs in post-security locations. JFK is one of the busiest airports in the nation and is an economic engine in southeast Queens supporting more than 280,000 jobs, including 37,000 direct jobs at the airport, generating more than $51 billion in sales and $17.1 billion in wages.
“As we transform JFK International Airport into one of the world’s great global hubs, we must continue to ensure that economic benefits are shared with the communities of southeastern Queens,” said Hersh Parekh, Port Authority director of government and community relations for New York. “Linking JFK’s neighbors to the many good jobs being created at the airport is just one of several initiatives the Port Authority has developed to lift up the communities that have borne the brunt of hosting an airport for many decades.”
