# same arrays as above
while(<>) {
    if(length<101) { # 1 more for newline
         chomp;
         warn "Record '$_' too short, skipping";
         next;
    }
    push @jobNumbers, substr $_,0,6;
    push @customerNames, substr $_,6,10;
    push @telephoneNumbers, substr $_,16,10;
    push @agencyReferences, substr $_,26,10;
    # adjust either start or end if you need to skip spaces
    push @statusDescriptions, substr $_,36,64;
}