Job fair returns to Queen Center: Queens Chronicle

The Queens Ledger published an article regarding Sen. Peralta's upcoming job fair. This is the piece. 

Queens Ledger: Come one, come all, and be sure to bring a resume.

More than 40 companies will be interviewing job candidates next Thursday, August 25, at the Queens Center Mall food court from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The job fair is hosted by State Senator Jose Peralta, Woodside on the Move and Queens Center.

“Although the economy is still improving, and fortunately many people are finding jobs, there are still thousands and thousands of jobseekers in Queens,” Peralta said. “Every potential job opportunity at the fair could mean a paycheck for a hard-working neighbor.”

According to the state Department of Labor, the city had an unemployment rate of 5.1 percent as of June 2016. That number fell from the 5.5 percent last year. In Queens, the unemployment rate this year was 4.4 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in borough last year.

This will be the third consecutive year Queens Center has hosted the job fair. Last year, more than 50 candidates were hired on the spot and more than 1,240 interviews were conducted in total.

“It fits perfectly into our initiative to be a good corporate neighbor and support jobseekers and employers in the community,” said John Scaturro, senior management for marketing at Queens Center. “It also provides our retailers and restaurants with the opportunity to interview potential employees as they open new stores and head into the busy holiday retail season.”

Among the companies that will be at the job fair are Terrace on the Park, The Cheesecake Factory, GameStop, Con Edison and Department of Homeland Security.

“We see people in our office everyday looking for good jobs to support their families,” said Amy Paul, executive director of Woodside on the Move. “Job fairs like this help cut the red tape and give hardworking residents first-hand access to employers.”