The following is excerpted from the executive summary for A City of Immigrant Workers.
New York is home to the most diverse immigrant population of any major city in the world and immigrants make up nearly half of the city’s workforce. Yet the city is faced with a paradox: while immigrants are employed at higher rates than native-born New Yorkers, they are disproportionately clustered in low-wage occupations and are frequently taken advantage of by both exploitative employers and predatory employment agencies. As the city government has begun restructuring its workforce development system, it has created an important opportunity to address these inequities faced by immigrant New Yorkers.
The Center for an Urban Future and The Center for Popular Democracy have released the joint report, A City of Immigrant Workers: Building a Workforce Strategy to Support All New Yorkers. New York City government and the philanthropic community are charged with addressing barriers to immigrant inclusion and building a stronger workforce development ecosystem by adopting the following recommendations:
- Build the right career ladders for immigrants. Meet the unique educational and training needs of immigrant New Yorkers within a sector-based framework
- Improve immigrant access to workforce development through systems coordination
- Raise workplace standards for immigrant workers. Protect workplace rights and improve job quality in low-wage occupations where vulnerable immigrants predominate