New York Governor Kathy Hocul’s (D) administration has agreed to a proposal to make it easier for migrants to get government jobs.
Governor Hochul is trying to fast-track migrants’ employment processes for government jobs, arguing it's the solution to NY’s crisis.https://t.co/SnnEm0xCd4
— CBS 6 Albany – WRGB (@CBS6Albany) February 2, 2024
The goal of the proposal is to make it easier for migrants to get jobs once they receive work authorization.
The measure was approved on January 18th by the NY Civil Service Commission, who is working with various agencies to implement the changes. These changes include easing requirements such as education qualifications, certifications, and English language proficiency.
According to an internal memo obtained by Spectrum News NY1, approximately 4,000 open positions have been identified that can be filled by migrants.
The memo notes that despite the qualification barriers, many migrants are able to perform the duties of the positions.
One of the positions is titled “Engineering Support Aide,” which includes duties such as “performing laboratory tests,” “making calculations” and “helping in research projects.”
The minimum qualifications for this job have been reduced to “ability to perform assigned tasks and follow instructions.”
Other fields of work for the proposed jobs include care for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, custodial work, food service, facilities and machinery repair, and office positions.
The memo goes on to state that the creation of these titles is a “win-win” for New York, stating that these changes will help “rebuild the State workforce,” “help solve the migrant crisis” and connect migrants with “meaningful jobs and opportunity.”
I’m anxious to get this moving quickly,” Gov. Hochul remarked Tuesday at a press conference, according to Politico. “When we get them approved, we can get them matched to jobs.”
Civil Service Department Commissioner Timothy Hogues maintains that the proposal is similar to already existing programs.
“This is no different from our traineeships and apprenticeships that we have that allow individuals to upskill or get the time on the job to be able to meet the qualifications,” he stated, according to the New York Post. “This is just a bigger part of our holistic approach to opening up government and making these jobs available and reducing the barriers.”
