New York City has emerged from the pandemic as the land of opportunity, and, in fields where talent is slim, there are new pathways that workers can take to earn the right credentials.
“New York City’s superpower has long been and continues to be its people,” said Yael Taqqu, managing partner of consulting powerhouse McKinsey. “The area boasts one of the most educated, productive and diverse workforces on the planet.”
Exactly what kind of workers will be in demand in 2023 and beyond? We turned to experts from hiring and talent strategy provider ManpowerGroup, recruitment solutions leader iCIMS and the New York City Economic Development Commission for answers. Here’s where they expect to see the most growth in the new year.
Restaurants and hospitality
New York is on pace to attract 61.7 million visitors in 2023 according to Tiffany Townsend, the executive vice president of global communications at NYC & Company. That means providing millions of exceptional meals, hotel stays and entertainment options.
Food service titles range from cooks, sous-chefs, bakers, butchers, grocery managers and even cake decorators. Pay ranges from $15 per hour to more than $200,000 annually. No experience? See if you qualify for training through First Course NYC’s apprenticeship program.
Recreational cannabis
This industry’s arrival in New York will bring with it a range of jobs: from budtenders (customer-facing salespeople), retail dispensary managers, weed messengers and security guards; to growers, cultivators, trimmers, site managers, production workers and more. So for those New Yorkers who have been waiting for the city’s recreational use dispensaries to open, it’s time to polish the résumé.
Damian Fagon, the chief equity officer at New York State Office of Cannabis Management, predicts that the market for recreational use cannabis will be huge, and since major initiatives in New York are only now just taking off, opportunities for career growth are substantial. Pay rates vary, from minimum wage to six figures.
Healthcare
New Yorkers keep getting older, and viruses like COVID-19, RSV and the flu have added strain to an already stressed system.
“We need more nurses. We will always need more nurses,” said Jim McCoy, who is senior vice president of enterprise solutions at Manpower Group. Nursing schools, he explained, are at capacity, and not producing enough graduates to meet national demand. Ditto for physical and occupational therapists.
The city of New York is working to fill the gap by offering no-cost training programs that prepare New Yorkers for jobs in the healthcare field. They include a city-wide nurse residency program as well as a curriculum to help foreign-trained nurses improve their English and pass the NYS Registered Nurse licensing exam.
Offshore wind
A state-of-the-art offshore wind port facility for manufacturing and assembling wind turbine components is coming to Staten Island, bringing with it jobs that few people have experience with.
As a result, New York State is providing funding to the College of Staten Island to help select New Yorkers who are interested in the industry gain access to high-quality, hands-on laboratory experiences and coursework focused on offshore wind and renewable energy.
A jobs center is planned for the waterfront, which the city said will focus on “good-paying manufacturing and industrial jobs, including the delivery of a comprehensive hiring and wage program that supports local communities and creates broad-based opportunity, with a focus on opportunities for those in historically underrepresented communities.”
Updates will be available at CUNY.edu.
Medical billing
These workers submit medical charges and deal with insurance companies, and need to be specially trained for the job. It’s not impossible to learn as you work, but the better opportunities call for certification and/or an associate degree.
New York City has partnered with LaGuardia Community College, Weill Cornell Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System and the Harvard Business School Club of New York to provide free training to those who qualify. Medical billing specialists typically make around $40,000 and up in the New York City area, with certificate holders earning more.
Education
Pre-school and primary teachers are leaving the industry faster than others enter. “We have lost 300,000 educators and 88,000 childcare workers since the pandemic began and they have not returned,” said McCoy.
While the traditional route to becoming a teacher is to earn a degree in education, New York City offers programs including NYC Teaching Fellows and NYC Teaching Collaborative, which may help some with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines get into education faster. New York City public school teachers earn between $56,011 and $81,773, according to Salary.com.
Software developers
“One in 10 jobs in the US is as a software developer,” said McCoy. While colleges, universities and technical schools are the usual path, New York City and its partners have created an alternate way into the field through free training.
Software developers earn between $90,290 and $160,000, according to Salary.com.