A month after Governor Kathy Hochul directed the New York State Department of Labor to begin connecting businesses with job openings to migrants and asylum seekers who have attained legal work status, she has announced that there are 18,000 jobs statewide available for asylum seekers and migrants as part of a statewide initiative to move individuals out of shelters and into independent living circumstances.
“Migrants and asylum seekers came here to work — so let’s put them to work,” Hochul said. “Right now, we have a migrant crisis and a workforce crisis. By connecting work-eligible individuals with jobs and opportunity in New York, we can solve them both and secure a brighter future for all New Yorkers.”
On Long Island, Hochul has identified 1,294 jobs — with 2,896 available in the Hudson Valley and 9,801 in New York City.
Nearly 400 employers are willing to hire the migrants and asylum seekers who have attained legal work status in the United States, Hochul said.
The initiative was started on August 24, when Hochul directed the NYSDOL to conduct outreach to employers to assess the kind and number of jobs that could be filled with migrants and asylum seekers. Now more than 18,000 private sector job openings at 379 companies have been identified. The job openings are in areas such accommodation and food services, healthcare and social assistance, manufacturing, and administrative support.
Employers were identified through a portal where they could inform the State that they would welcome newly authorized individuals into their workforce, Hochul said.
In addition, a registration process where asylum seekers and migrants with work authorization can register for assistance has been established, she said.
Hochul also announced a public awareness campaign to help more employers express their business needs and welcome asylum seekers and migrants with work authorizations into their workforce. NYSDOL will expand their outreach to employers via social media and digital channels and begin circulating a digital flyer, which direct employers to the department’s intake form, Hochul said.
Hochul said she has identified work authorization as the “path out of this crisis, allowing migrants and asylum seekers to leave taxpayer-funded shelters and begin living independently as generations of immigrants have done.”
This is not the only initiative of the kind. The governor has launched several programs that aim to match the skills and needs of migrants with the local labor market, as well as to offer them training, mentoring, and language support. These initiatives have helped thousands of migrants find decent and stable jobs, while also contributing to the growth and diversity of the state’s economy.
