New Report Tracks Unemployment Across NYC

A new report from the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs and the Consortium for Worker Education finds that the economic recession sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is hitting low-income workers of color hardest. Authored by James Parrott, the report finds that despite a reopening economy, New York City’s May job numbers remained 19 percent below pre-pandemic levels. These losses fell hardest on face-to-face, service sector workers, who are predominantly New Yorkers of color. Unemployment rates are also highest in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, home to many of the city’s immigrants and minority residents. It is likely that New York City will end the year with 500,000-600,000 fewer jobs than at the beginning of 2020. 

The report is the latest in an ongoing series by Parrott in partnership with CWE, to assist policy makers and workforce development providers in developing programs to support the workers impacted by recessionary job losses.

Read the report here.