About five hundred applicants showed up for another “Hiring Hall” job fair in The Bronx on Wednesday, June 21, this time at Lehman College in Bedford Park. Hosted, once again, by the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the event is part of a series of city government job fairs being held citywide in recent months.

 

The face-to-face contact with City agencies affords New Yorkers the opportunity to bypass some of the more lengthy and bureaucratic steps required when applying for City jobs. As reported, a similar event was hosted at Monroe College in May, as reported, and another at Hostos Community College on July 25.

The fairs are timely. According to the latest data released from New York State Department of Labor, The Bronx’s unemployment rate is climbing and leads the five boroughs. As of June 2023, the unemployment rate in The Bronx reached 7.6 percent, a substantial jump from April’s 7 percent rate.

 

Meanwhile, as of June 2023, unemployment in Queens was 5.2 percent; in Brooklyn, 6.2 percent; in Manhattan, 5.2 percent; and on Staten Island, it was 5.5 percent. The average unemployment rate across the City in June 2023 was 5.9 percent, a jump from June 2022’s 5.5 percent. Further north, in Orange-Rockland-Westchester counties, the combined unemployment rate was 3 percent as of June 2023, down from 3.1 percent in June 2022.

 

According to DOL, rates are calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The State’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts approximately 3,100 households in New York State each month. DOL officials said New York State’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held constant at 3.9% in June 2023.

According to DOL, labor force data for the current month are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available. Revised estimates for prior months are available here.

 

DOL officials said labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and her team, including Kenny Agosto, a former District 15 City Council candidate, were also present for some of the event, encouraging job seekers, ranging in age from 18 to 60, to put their best foot forward in applying for positions with the NYPD, the NYC Department of Sanitation, and more.

 

Perseverance was the order of the day as some seated job seekers were seen being interviewed by City agency officials, while others patiently waited in line, resumes in hand.

 

Jesus Cabreja, Janeva Clarke and Dilmer Martinez were representing the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit on the day and said they were helping residents, especially those over the age of 65, with rental issues. “We’re here offering people information on our agency and our unit and how we help tenants out with their rights whenever they’re facing housing-related issues, or being harassed by their landlord, unexpected rent increases, things like that or repair issues,” Cabreja said.

 

“We let them know they can call us on the tenant helpline, and we can provide them [inaudible] and help them out and inform them on their general tenant rights,” he added. “So that’s what we’re here for today and they can just easily call 311, and 311 will redirect them to the tenant helpline.”

 

 

CJ Johnson attended the fair with his mom who couldn’t stop smiling at how happy she was for him. “I’m 18 years old,” he said. “I just recently graduated high school and I’m here at this hiring hall to find new opportunities and careers involving anything, to be honest, but my passion really is technology and engineering.”

 

Johnson said he signed up for some openings in the information technology sector, and with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. “I think it’s called the Parks’ department,” he said. “I did that because I like to try to give back to the community and help, like, with the environment. So, I think that’d be good for people my age.”

 

The young high school graduate also gave us his reaction to meeting the mayor at the event. “It was very nice to meet the major of New York City, and I think he’s doing a wonderful job creating job opportunities for people in all five boroughs and not just in New York too, but all over the world,” Johnson said.