"Expanding Skills-Based Hiring in New York"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Replay of the event
Event materials​

A major expansion of skills-based hiring represents one of the best opportunities to increase access to well-paying jobs for low-income New Yorkers while simultaneously helping employers connect with the talent that they may be overlooking. Right now, tens of thousands of highly skilled New Yorkers have been shut out of good jobs simply because they don’t meet often unnecessary degree requirements for the positions they seek. Although considering credentials such as a college degree is still useful for some jobs in today’s economy, there is now compelling evidence that many occupations—in fields from tech and finance to legal services and government—could be ably filled by workers who bring considerable skills to the role but are too often screened out because the hiring process doesn’t adequately assess true skills.

This forum explored the opportunity to greatly expand the practice of skills-based hiring across New York City’s economy. It 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. It 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.

Speakers included:

• Council Member Nantasha Williams, New York City Council
• Jose Ortiz, Jr., Senior Advisor for Workforce Development, Office of NYC Mayor Eric Adams
• Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director, New York Jobs CEO Council
• Beth Berwick, Partner, Grads of Life
• Abbey Carlton, Global Head of Social Impact, Indeed
• Beth Cobert, Acting President, Markle Foundation - Rework America Alliance
• Daniel Diaz, Executive Director, East Side House Settlement
• Yudelkis Nunez-Rodriguez, Vice President, People & Capability, Mastercard Strategic Growth
• Marjorie Parker, President & CEO, JobsFirstNYC

A video of the full discussion is available here.

This symposium is made possible through generous support from Indeed. We are also grateful for general support from The Clark Foundation, the Bernard F. and Alva B. Gimbel Foundation, the Altman Foundation, and ongoing support from a number of other philanthropic funders.