New York weighs rule changes to hire thousands amid migrant crisis

By Zach Williams and Laura Nahmias

New York is weighing a plan to hire thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers who have legal work status in the US, but may face barriers to finding jobs such as language skills or prior experience. 
 

State agencies have identified about 4,000 positions that could be filled by these individuals, mostly in entry-level roles that are hard to recruit for, according to a Jan. 12 memo from the Department of Civil Service obtained by Bloomberg News. The positions are mostly in areas like food service, equipment repairs, facilities management and office assistance, according to the memo.

To make these jobs more accessible, the state is proposing to create “transitional” titles with requirements more in line with the candidates’ qualifications. Once in those jobs, the workers would receive training and support to help them gain the necessary skills to be eligible for permanent roles.

“These individuals are able to perform many of the core duties of the positions that state agencies seek to fill,” according to the memo.

Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a $2.4 billion plan to help provide for the more than 170,000 migrants who have arrived in the city since April 2022. Hochul has also called on the Biden administration to speed up work permits and increase federal aid for migrants, saying that letting them work would benefit the state’s economy and ease the humanitarian crisis.

Avi Small, a spokesperson for Hochul, confirmed that the memo was accurate, adding that the state is still considering whether to change the job requirements.

“This initiative, which has not yet been implemented, would offer temporary employment opportunities that are available for anyone who can legally work in the United States,” said Small in an email response to questions. “Governor Hochul has prioritized modernizing our state workforce and eliminating red tape, and she has instituted a series of reforms to achieve that goal.”