While the pandemic has changed so much about life in New York City, one factor has remained a welcome constant: technology is where the city’s good jobs are growing. But New York needs to make much more progress in expanding access to these well- paying tech careers and ensuring that New Yorkers of color and women are fully represented. 

In this op-ed for City & State NY, CUF Editorial & Policy Director Eli Dvorkin and Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund Director Amber Oliver urge Mayor Adams to strengthen and grow computing education in the city’s schools to expand access to well-paying tech careers and diversify the tech workforce for the long run.

New research from the Center for an Urban Future and Tech:NYC reveals that New York’s tech sector has been among the city’s few economic bright spots since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But tech has long struggled to diversify its ranks and encourage more under-represented talent. At the same time, far too few young people are prepared with the foundational computational thinking and digital skills that make them stronger learners and problem solvers—and are now required by more than half of all job postings in New York City. The time to act is now. 

Read the full op-ed here.

This op-ed builds on dozens of CUF reports over the past 25 years that have focused on strengthening and diversifying the city’s tech workforce, including Plugging In: Building NYC’s Tech Education & Training Ecosystem, Preparing New Yorkers for the Tech Jobs Driving NYC’s Pandemic Economy, and CUNY's Key Role in Expanding Access to Tech Careers.