Senator Jose Peralta Sponsors Job Fair to Tackle Unemployment

About 40 employers will be interviewing job seekers and accepting résumés at a job fair sponsored by Senator Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), Woodside on the Move, and Queens Center. The event will take place Thursday, July 9th, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Queens Center Food Court, located at 90-15 Queens Boulevard.

Some of the employers participating at the fair include Coca-Cola Refreshments, Starbucks, Regal Cinemas, Skechers, Madison Square Garden, Express, USTA Tennis Center and the Police and Fire Departments (NYPD and FDNY). In addition to the 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 résumé preparation.

“While the economy is slowly improving and the unemployment rate is declining, New York families continue to struggle to make ends meet,” Senator 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.”

Senator Peralta pointed to the latest statistics available from the New York State Department of Labor, showing the unemployment rate as of May 2015 in Queens to be 5.2 percent, compared to 6.4 percent in May of last year. In New York City, the unemployment rate decreased from 7.3 in May 2014 to 5.9 last month.

The Senator added that 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 job fair is an opportunity for them to find a job,” Senator 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 résumés.”

“Queens Center is honored to work with Senator Peralta to bring this job fair to the community. We believe it is important for the Mall to engage in activities like these that support our neighbors,” said John Scaturro, senior manager for Marketing for Queens Center. “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. Together with Senator Peralta and his team we look forward to hosting as many as 2,000 job applicants and nearly 50 employers at this year’s job fair,” Scaturro added.

Adrian Bordoni, executive director of Woodside on the Move, Inc., said, “Woodside On The Move is honored to support the efforts of Senator Peralta and his commitment to improve opportunities for our residents. 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.”