Samantha Borges (Unsplash)
April 6, 2021 By Ryan Songalia
Two online job fairs will take place in April as the borough looks to rebound from the economic devastation– and job losses–brought on by the pandemic.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz will co-host a job fair on Friday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This is in addition to the borough president’s regularly scheduled jobs event, which will take place Thursday, April 15 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The job fairs come at a time when the borough-wide unemployment rate remains stubbornly high. In January, the unemployment rate was 12.9 percent, up significantly from the rate pre-COVID-19 when it was a mere 3 percent. However, at the height of the pandemic– in June 2020– the rate reached 21.6 percent.
“Although more than a year has passed since the pandemic started, we are not letting up on our efforts to get Queens residents back to work,” Richards said. “We will not rest until every Queens resident who wants a job has a job.”
Employers and recruiters in the aviation, transportation, retail, finance and other industries will make brief presentations at the job fairs before holding question and answer sessions. These organizations will also be looking to fill positions.
“While some of our neighbors have begun to go back to work, many are still struggling to put food on the table,” Cruz said. “These job fairs are critical in connecting job hunters with the resources they need to get back on their feet.”
Among the organizations expected to participate in the April 9 event are 82nd Street Academics, Animal Care Centers of NYC, Building Skills NY, CAMBA, Inc., Commonpoint Queens, the Council for Airport Opportunity, Express Employment Professionals, New York Life, the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and Workforce1.
The April 15 event will feature Animal Care Centers of NYC, Building Skills NY, CAMBA, Inc., The Child Center of New York, Commonpoint Queens, the Council for Airport Opportunity, District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Empire Vets, Express Employment Professionals, Forest Hills Financial Group, the New York City Children’s Center, NYC Transit/MTA, New York Life, the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Queens Centers for Progress, Resorts World Casino New York City, Turning Point for Women and Families, WATCHGUARD 24/7, Westhab, Inc., and Workforce1.
Both fairs will be streamed live at www.queensbp.com. Registration for the live interactive question and answer session must be made a day before the event at www.queensbp.org/rsvp.
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