WPTI Releases New Report on NYC Frontline Workforce Professionals in the Age of COVID-19

WPTI is pleased to announce the official release of our new report, Navigating Uncertain Waters: NYC Workforce Professionals in the Age of COVID-19, the most recent publication in our Voices from the Frontline series, focused on the experiences, concerns, and needs of New York City frontline workforce development professionals.

This report, co-authored by the Center for New York City Affairs and WPTI, specifically addresses the experience of workforce development professionals providing client-facing services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, relying on responses to a survey of more than 200 individuals conducted between March and May 2021. It explores the impact of COVID-19 on these professionals’ compensation and financial stability, their workplace morale, their career plans, perceptions of job stability in an uncertain economy, and much more.

Among other key findings, the report reveals worries regarding layoffs, as well as serious financial pressures facing workforce professionals --- pressures that often differ across gender lines, with women facing greater financial stressors than their male counterparts. And it lays out key factors that must be considered as the sector helps the city advance toward an equitable economic recovery from the pandemic.

To read the report, CLICK HERE.

Register Today for Our December 9 Briefing

WPTI will host a virtual briefing and discussion from 9:00 – 10:30am on Thursday, December 9 on the report’s findings and what COVID-19 has meant for professionals across New York City’s workforce development community. The session will feature:

  • A presentation on the report’s key findings, led by economist Lina Moe of the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School and Justin Collins of WPTI, co-authors of the report
  • A panel of workforce and human services leaders, consisting of Christopher Lynn-Logue of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, Evelyn Ortiz of NYATEP, Natalie Martinez of HANAC, Inc., and Rasheeda Edmonds of United Activities Unlimited sharing their perspectives on COVID-19 and what it has meant for human services workers and the workforce development field.
  • A presentation by Evelyn Ortiz of NYATEP on NYATEP’s upcoming statewide survey of workforce leaders on issues of racial and gender diversity, equity, and inclusion across our field.
  • Breakout rooms, where you can share your thoughts on what COVID-19 has meant for you and your organization, as we work toward an equitable economic recovery from this pandemic.

We hope you will join us! To register for the briefing, CLICK HERE. A Zoom link will be provided to all those who register in the hours leading up to the event.