Economic pressures and rapid technological change are reshaping New York City’s job market — altering not just which skills are in demand, but how workers find and secure opportunities.
As the founder and executive director of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), a nonprofit dedicated to helping low-income New Yorkers build upwardly mobile careers, I have witnessed firsthand how economic shifts — from 9/11 to the Great Recession to the pandemic — hit the city’s most vulnerable workers hardest.
Too often, unemployed and low-wage workers are either displaced or trapped in jobs with little room for growth. As we enter this new era of work, we must ensure they aren’t left behind.
But how do we future-proof the city’s workforce for a job market that is constantly changing? We make meaningful investments in tried-and-true workforce development strategies: Guiding workers to make smart personal investments, emphasizing technical and soft skills training, and supporting individuals before, during and after reskilling or career pivots.
The first step is to help people navigate towards career opportunities that continue to have promise in tomorrow’s economy. That starts with identifying unmet needs in the labor market — ones that are likely to persist through tech advancement and economic downturns — and providing guidance on which of those roles can lead to upward mobility.
The landscape of available roles is only becoming more complex, and it isn’t always easy to separate a dead-end job from one that offers pathways to family-sustaining wages. We have to build frameworks for career navigation so New Yorkers with barriers to employment know where they should focus their aspirations and efforts.
In BWI’s case, we started as a sector-specific program bridging the gap between the thousands of unemployed public housing residents in Red Hook and the abundance of jobs in commercial driving industries. Decades later, this program remains one of our most successful, with the demand for workers consistently outpacing the number of graduates.
We’ve used this model to fill talent needs in other local sectors across the city, creating pipelines for low-wage workers and people disconnected from the formal labor market into secure careers in television and film production, telecommunications infrastructure, municipal roles with NYCHA, customer experience roles in tech, and woodworking and fabrication.
Low-wage workers also need the right combination of hard and soft skills to navigate the current world of work. For instance, technology is now integrated into every stage of employment: from online job searches and applications to onboarding processes as well as everyday job responsibilities — making digital fluency a necessity, not just a nice-to-have. It is important that skills training programs are layering this knowledge — from how to use apps or software to key tech jargon — as part of all their curriculums to bridge the growing digital divide.
But for people to consider exploring their career options and forgoing their regular paycheck in favor of skills development — they need to have their basic needs met. A stronger social safety net is urgently needed, so pursuing a career pivot doesn’t feel like a serious financial gamble. Reskilling and upskilling are necessary to prepare workers for emerging sectors, curb labor shortages and broaden talent pools. New Yorkers already struggling to get by can only commit to career advancement if they are provided sufficient wraparound support.
The journey doesn’t end when people are placed into a new role. Financial responsibilities, labor market fluctuations and difficulties adjusting can mean that without ongoing support, many are pulled back into their previous circumstances. Most successful workforce development programs offer services like career coaching or financial guidance long after program completion to ensure alumni have the resources they need to navigate personal and professional challenges.
The community of local workforce providers has a formula we know works: enable informed choices, promote in-demand skills and support workers along the way. Now, this foundation just needs to be strengthened and scaled to best position unemployed and working poor New Yorkers for success as the world of work evolves. NYC’s economic strength is tied to the strength of our local talent — let’s invest in cultivating it by meeting workers where they are.
Aaron Shiffman is the founder and executive director of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations.
