In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in New York City and left an economic crisis in its wake, which will impact our economy and the labor market for at least the next five years. The economic devastation impacted numerous industries in a range of ways.

2020 was a year like no other for New York City’s job developers.  In less than 12 months, thousands of businesses slashed payrolls.  Long-time employers shuttered their doors permanently.  Unemployment soared from historic low to historic high overnight.

On Tuesday, March 16, Workforce Professionals Training Institute hosted the fifth and final session in our series of Employer Symposiums, presented in partnership with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). This session focused on both the construction and manufacturing sectors, and was attended by 70 workforce professionals, representing 44 organizations and agencies.

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI) hosted the third briefing in connection with its Voices from the Frontline initiative. This briefing followed the third report in connection with the initiative, Voices from the Frontline: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for NYC’s Frontline Workforce Development Professionals, which offered compelling data on the impact of race and gender on workforce professionals with regard to their salaries, their opportunities for advancement, and their day-to-day workplace experience.

On Tuesday, February 16, WPTI hosted the fourth session in our Employer Symposium Series in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), this time focused on the tech industry, a growing force in New York City’s economy.

Summer 2021 is rapidly approaching, and with it comes the launch of New York City’s annual Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), a staple of the city since 1963, funded by the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on SYEP, leading to funding cuts, a shift to virtual programming, and a dramatically-altered calendar with minimal time for providers to prepare for the program’s implementation.

On Tuesday, January 26, WPTI hosted the second briefing in connection with the Voices from the Frontline report series focused on the experiences, perspectives, and needs of frontline workers in the workforce development field. The series is based on responses to the Workforce Field Building Hub (The Hub) at WPTI’s January-February 2020 Survey of New York City Frontline Workforce Professionals, which was completed by 362 respondents – all New York City-based workforce development professionals working as job developers, case managers, job coaches, retention specialists, and in other client-facing roles.

On Tuesday, January 19, more than 100 stakeholders from across New York City’s workforce development system and beyond joined WPTI and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) for our Healthcare Employer Symposium, the third in our series of sector-focused symposiums examining employer needs in light of COVID-19, the economic downturn, and a rapidly-changing, increasingly digital labor market.

On December 22, 2020, WPTI Executive Director Sharon Sewell-Fairman published an op-ed in City Limits, titled, “How We Can Rebuild NYC’s Hospitality and Retail Industries.” The piece addresses the critical state of the city’s hospitality and retail sectors, and the impact this has had on New York City workers – with nearly one-third of all workers receiving unemployment benefits, and a disproportionate impact on people of color, young adults, immigrants, and entry-level workers.

Few sectors have been hit harder than retail. Even before the pandemic, many of NYC’s 32,000 brick-and-mortar businesses were struggling against strong competition from e-commerce and national chains, shifting consumption patterns, and fast rising costs of operation.