Job fair with companies actually hiring

What if there was a job fair - and there were actually jobs to be had?!

Earlier this week, the office of Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) hosted a job fair at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Hauppauge, and more than 30 companies and nonprofits took tables and names of job hunters.

At some of these events, companies and organizations show up even though they have no openings. They are there simply for PR purposes.

But the businesses at this week's event said jobs do exist on Long Island.

Telephonics Corp., the Farmingdale-based defense electronics manufacturer, has about 50 openings for engineers and technicians, said company president Joe Battaglia.

"We've been growing," Battaglia said. Telephonics has a contract to supply radar systems for Navy helicopters that is expected to run for six or seven years.

Nancy Sobrito, an employment manager at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, said in an e-mail that the lab is "currently recruiting for about 170 open jobs" in engineering, information technology and administration.

Representatives of CA Inc.'s Montessori Children's Centres were also at the jobs fair. The Islandia-based software company said the Centres are looking for assistant teachers, camp counselors and swim instructors.

In a statement, Israel said, "The economy has been hard on Long Island families, which is why I sought out employers in our area who are hiring and brought them together for a jobs fair. The good news is that these employers have jobs to fill. But we still need to do more on all fronts to put people back to work."

At a glance

What

: Jobs.

Are there any

: Some, but not a lot. LI's unemployment rate stands at 7.9 percent, the highest since 1992.

How many jobs are there on the Island

: The total number of private-sector jobs is now about 995,4000, the lowest since 2003.

Where should I look

: The leisure and hospitality sector, and education and health services have been the most active in adding jobs.

Where shouldn't I look

: Manufacturing, which has been shedding jobs since the downsizing of the Island's defense industry after the Cold War ended in 1991.