Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced her state will open temporary government jobs to thousands of migrants with federal work authorization.
Perhaps anticipating blowback for her decision, Hochul told Spectrum News that “these are all legal people.” She added that the state’s workforce has 10,000 openings.
According to Politico, the Empire State is the first in the nation to roll out the red carpet by offering government jobs to migrants. It is further welcoming new arrivals by loosening education requirements, English proficiency standards, and job certifications.
New York opens thousands of temporary government jobs to migrants https://t.co/x2EyyqiNpg
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) February 6, 2024
Hochul said she is attempting to fill roughly 4,000 entry-level positions. These openings range from technical support, repair, and food service to clerical jobs and caring for the disabled.
During a press conference last week in Albany, the Democrat expressed her desire to expedite filling these positions with migrants. “I’m anxious to get this moving quickly,” she told reporters. “When we get them approved, we can get them matched to jobs.”
The program to employ new arrivals requires a substantial rule change concerning qualifications. State officials embarked on creating “transitional titles” to open the workforce positions to those with federal work authorization.
A memo produced by the New York Civil Service Commission described the jobs as “hard-to-recruit, entry-level titles.”
A Hochul spokesperson described the governor’s attempt at “modernizing our state workforce and eliminating red tape.” Hiring those with precious little English proficiency to fill state jobs apparently fits the definition of “modernizing.”
The mouthpiece declared anyone who may legally work in the U.S. is eligible to apply.
Department of Civil Service Commissioner Timothy Hogues noted that the proposed relaxed rules are similar to current apprenticeship programs. He further assured skeptics that the updated qualifications would apply to all New Yorkers if they are adopted — not just migrants.
A memo from the department claimed “the creation of these transitional titles is a win-win way for the state and its agencies to connect qualified and motivated individuals with meaningful jobs and opportunity.”
The writing further asserted that such a move would help alleviate the ongoing migrant crisis and “rebuild the state workforce.”
Hochul previously declared New York had over 40,000 positions through employers willing to hire migrants. Officials described the situation with tens of thousands of new arrivals and job openings as a “bottleneck.”
