New Report: Putting Our Dollars to Work

$640M in Citywide Workforce Spending, Majority of Funding Bypasses Prime-Age Workers in Need

NEW YORK, NY, March 31, 2025—A new analysis from the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) reveals that the City’s workforce development investments continue to fall dramatically short for the adults who keep the economy afloat, but are locked out of opportunity. The report, Putting Our Dollars to Work, shows that nearly half (48%) of all City workforce funding is concentrated in youth programs, while just 16% reaches prime-age adults who are not on public assistance or living in public housing despite this group making up the majority of New York City’s unemployed, underemployed, and low-wage workforce.

The City’s lopsided funding priorities leave more than a million New Yorkers — many of them Black, Latino, immigrants, and outer-borough residents — without meaningful access to job training, career advancement, or economic mobility. These are New Yorkers stuck in low-wage jobs, juggling multiple part-time jobs, or cycling in and out of unemployment. And yet, they’re being shut out of the workforce system meant to support them.

“This data makes one thing painfully clear: if you’re a working adult trying to upskill, advance, or switch industries in New York City, you’re largely on your own,” said Gregory J. Morris, CEO of NYCETC. “Public dollars are not creating the on-ramps to middle-income wages at a time when our City is experiencing an affordability crisis — that’s a policy choice, and it needs to change.”

In FY2024, New York City allocated $638 million to workforce programs — but only a sliver of that investment supported general adult jobseekers. At the same time, programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) have seen funding skyrocket by more than 600% since 2013, serving nearly 100,000 participants last year. These investments in young people are critical, but they are seasonal and largely disconnected from career development opportunities. Meanwhile, the City’s year-round youth workforce programs reach only a fraction of those who need them. Underinvestment in adult workers stifles economic mobility, weakens the City’s tax base, and constrains its ability to meet evolving industry demand. 

“This isn’t a question of youth vs. adults, it’s a question of basic fairness — and economic sense,” said Morris. “We can’t build a strong, inclusive economy while ignoring the very people trying to stay afloat, support families, and build careers in a city that’s getting harder to live in every day.”

Findings from the report include:

  • In FY2024, the City’s $107 billion budget allocated just 0.6% to workforce development, a stunningly small share given the scale of need across the five boroughs.
  • Over the last 15 years, funding for adult workforce programs at HRA and SBS has dropped by 43% and 28% respectively (in constant dollars), while funding at DYCD, largely serving youth, has surged 127%.
  • In 2010, HRA’s workforce budget was more than triple that of DYCD. By 2024, DYCD’s budget had overtaken HRA’s, marking a dramatic shift in who the City chooses to serve.
  • While federal funding makes up 37% of the workforce budget, much of it is locked behind rigid guidelines. 

These workers may earn enough to disqualify them from assistance programs but not enough to achieve true economic security. They often face difficulties affording housing, healthcare, childcare, and other essentials, leading to chronic financial stress.The report findings call for a significant investment of resources toward adult workforce programming to prioritize equity, support proven models, and advance the New Yorkers who’ve been overlooked for too long. It’s a call to start building a workforce system that increases access to quality jobs, powers businesses, and reverse the post-pandemic decline of the City’s middle class.

Read Putting Our Dollars to Work

About the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)

As the largest city-based workforce development association in the country, the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) supports the workforce and economic development community to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the skills, training, and education needed to thrive in the local economy; and that every business is able to maintain a highly skilled workforce. Currently, more than 200 organizations are members of the NYCETC. These organizations are responsible for serving the needs of 200,000+ New Yorkers seeking access to education and employment opportunities each year. The primary recipients of services are women, young adults (18-24 years of age), public housing residents, justice-impacted individuals, and immigrants.

Press Contact

For more information, please contact Emily Kaufold at emily@hayesinitiative.com or (203) 295-5783.