Expanding Skills-Based Hiring in New York

Recently, the Center for an Urban Future held a policy symposium that explored the opportunity to greatly expand the practice of skills-based hiring across New York City’s economy.

The first panel of the day featured Abbey Carlton, Global Head of Social Impact, Indeed, Beth Berwick, Partner, Grads of Life and Rework America Alliance member, Jose Ortiz, Jr., Senior Advisor for Workforce Development, Office of NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Daniel Diaz, Executive Director, East Side House Settlement, Yudelkis Nunez-Rodriguez, Vice President, People & Capability, Mastercard Strategic Growth, Marjorie Parker, President & CEO, JobsFirstNYC and was moderated by Eli Dvorkin, Editorial & Policy Director, Center for an Urban Future.

The group discussed how private sector leaders can transform internal hiring practices to support more skills-based hiring and examined what government officials in New York should do to make it easier for employers to engage in hiring for skills. As Abbey said in her opening remarks, “while talent is universal, opportunity is not.” The goal is to open doors for tens of thousands of highly skilled New Yorkers who have been shut out of good jobs simply because they don’t meet often unnecessary degree requirements for the positions they seek.

Beth Cobert, Markle’s Acting President joined Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director at New York Jobs CEO Council, Council Member Nantasha Williams on the second panel also moderated by Eli Dvorkin. Beth explained why we need to think more broadly about skills-based practices, “to ensure a more equitable labor market, there is a need for skills-based everything, not just skills-based hiring. It’s getting people into roles and then thinking how they can grow and advance in their careers, so that those individuals benefit, and equally important the companies benefit by tapping into the full range of talent that’s available.”

There is already some promising momentum among New York City employers. Kiersten noted that New York Jobs CEO Council works with some of the biggest employers in New York City, and that “as large employers, being role models in this area, shifting to skills-based hiring is not only how they will get the talent that they need to be competitive, but it also is what will democratize the labor market, which is good for New York City.”

The forum also explored what private and public sector decision-makers can learn from skills-based hiring efforts already underway in New York and elsewhere, how to transform the city’s own municipal hiring practices, and how to support the infrastructure needed to spur the adoption of skills-based hiring tools among employers, job training organizations, and other stakeholders across the city’s economy.

You can view the entire policy symposium here.