By James Walsh

NEW WINDSOR — More than 1,400 people Monday packed a job fair where 70 employers, including retailers, manufacturers, financial services firms and health-care providers looked for workers.

Paul Rigatti, 61, of the Town of Newburgh, was laid off a month and a half ago from a retail job, a field he entered after the Newburgh Molded Products plant he managed shut down in 2004.

He'd grown tired of the Internet application process.

"You push a button and it goes to who knows where," said Rigatti, who favored the in-person opportunities of a job fair.

"This way you get a name, see a face," he said. "I've made a lot of contacts here. I'm very optimistic."

The fair was sponsored by Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-Mount Kisco, with the help of the Dutchess and Orange chambers of commerce. It ran for five hours at Anthony's Pier 9, where participants could get tips for interviewing and marketing themselves as well as drop off their resumes.

Unemployment has stagnated between 8 and 10 percent in the mid-Hudson, improving only slightly in the past year, according to state Labor Department data.

As the fair opened, Hayworth and Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun, R-C-Blooming Grove, wished the job seekers luck. Calhoun pledged there would be money for job creation in the state budget.

In an interview, Hayworth later said the 2010 health legislation made employers leery of hiring more people because of potentially rising insurance costs. She said there should be legislation to rein in costly "defensive medicine," or ordering tests as a defense against malpractice claims.

Teresa Menne of Ringwood, N.J., laid off this month from her administrative assistant job at Avon Products in Suffern, heard about the fair from a laid-off colleague. "So I printed out copies of my resume, put on my best face and came up here," she said.

Some employers said they were making new hires as well as replacing workers.

Some professionals hard to find

Fryer Machine Systems Inc., a Putnam County manufacturer, sought experienced machinists, mechanics and electricians.

"They're hard to find even at a job fair," said Sue Ostrander, sales and marketing manager. "We think that's because there have been so many (manufacturing) layoffs over the years, people moved on to other careers."

Ronnie Fisher, 29, of Newburgh, said he's been learning the plumbing trade and needed a full-time job.

"The job market is so hard, and I need a job that's steady," Fisher said. "I'm a single father and hopping around to jobs isn't practical."

Paul Quagliato of Peekskill earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2010. He gave up a job selling life insurance because it paid only commissions, and transportation costs ate up his earnings.

"Honestly, I'll take anything with a base salary and beyond minimum wage," Quagliato said. "I can't pay my college loans with minimum wage."

Enthusiasm in high demand

Prospective employers were looking for enthusiastic workers who didn't need to be prodded.

Kirsten Urso, who sought Aflac account representatives, had spoken to 20 people by 10:25 a.m. "A strong work ethic" was one requirement, she said. "It's not an easy job. You have to be a go-getter; you have to be a self-motivator."

By 10:45 a.m., more than 50 people had inquired at the ShopRite table for open positions at 30 stores. Hiring Coordinator Michelle Laurice said, "We're looking for people who are eager to work and who have a positive attitude."