Local job fair hopes to reconnect laid-off employees to new work

ALTOONA, Pa. (WJAC) — The PA CareerLink system organized a job fair at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona Tuesday, hoping to connect workers and jobseekers. But their focus was assisting some of the 95 workers who were furloughed from Norfolk Southern just last month.

"This job fair is in direct response to the layoffs that happened at Norfolk Southern,” said Gwen Fisher, site administrator for PA CareerLink’s Blair and Bedford counties. “As you know, we actually do this once before for the workers were laid off at North American Communications."

Fifty-five companies attended the job fair that featured early access for veterans and Norfolk Southern workers, before opening to the general public.

"At 10 a.m. we had a section open to the veterans, and we had a good turnout from the veterans,” Fisher said. “At 10:30 a.m. we had a half an hour specifically for Norfolk Southern workers, and there were a lot of those workers that showed up."

Fisher said the furloughed Norfolk Southern workers possess skills employers are looking for.

"(About) 25 percent of the companies that are at our job fair are manufacturers. They are looking for machinists. They are looking for operators. They are looking for electricians," Fisher said

Employers from across the region were represented at the event. Fisher said it was a great turnout.

"Several from Bedford County are here. We have some from Centre County as well. We actually have a company that came from as far as Pittsburgh," Fisher said.

Fishers said some of the furloughed Norfolk Southern workers are looking to expand their skillset as they look for new employment.

"Some of them are waiting to find out about their trade certifications and if they're going to be able to pay to go back to school to learn a new trade,” Fisher said. “A lot of them are here. A lot of them have been hired in the community already, and some of them are still looking."

Fisher said the unemployment rate sits at 4.5 percent, meaning there are more jobs open than there are people to fill them. She calls it a “job seekers market,” one she hopes former Norfolk Southern workers can take advantage of.

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