Thousands line up at New York job fair

About 6,000 people flocked to a city-sponsored job fair in New York for the multitudes of people thrown out of work by the World Trade Centre disaster.

Thousands were turned away, prompting the city to plan a second event next week.

"It’s crazy - it makes you realize how many people are unemployed out there," said Stephanie Sulaimen, a former recruiter for Merrill Lynch who joined a line that snaked around Madison Square Garden yesterday.

Some 13,000 openings were offered at the Twin Towers Job Expo in such fields as financial services and health care. The city estimates that up to 100,000 jobs were lost as a result of the trade centre attack.

The city asked that employees who lost jobs as a direct result of the terrorist attack be given priority, but the job fair was open to everyone.

Garment district worker Ed Haughie was among those who were unemployed before the attacks.

"Finding a job is not hard; it’s just that the salaries are so low," he said. "I have 15 years’ experience. I can’t work for $25,000 a year."

There was room for only about 2,000 people inside at a time, and Deputy Mayor Anthony Coles said the city would hold a second job fair on October 25.

Coles said 200 employers attended yesterday’s six-hour expo and more than 4,300 prospective hires were made.

The jobs offered ranged in pay and skill level, from high-paying, executive-level positions to entry-level jobs in the service sector. Middle-aged people in business suits mixed with young people in jeans.

Chris Ferguson, general manager at a KFC, said he took in more than 100 applications and 50 people would be hired.

Ronnie Taffet, vice president for public relations at Macy’s, said a dozen applicants were invited to a formal interview. Macy’s has 6,000 jobs, most of them temporary holiday positions, in the metropolitan area.

Many job seekers were suffering from the ripple effect of the September 11 attacks.

Shawna Johnson works at the observation deck of the Empire State Building and has seen her weekly hours cut from 35 to 15 since the terrorist attacks. "They just don’t need anyone," she said.

Bernardo Builes, a kitchen worker at a LaGuardia Airport hotel, said his hours had been cut, too: "The problem is nobody wants to fly."

Not all of the employers had an immediate job to offer.

Robert Simeone, assistant director of human resources for the Tavern on the Green restaurant, said the restaurant business is slow and there are no immediate positions open. But he took dozens of applications anyway.

"We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we get so swamped at Thanksgiving that we’re going to go through the applications and hire every one of them," he said.