Lander Unveils Jobs Plan to Revitalize NYC’s Economy as Thousands of Working Families Flee Amid Crushing Affordability Crisis
Lander’s ‘Good Jobs Plan’ calls for growing key industries, empowering small businesses, higher wages and guaranteed paid leave to build a fairer, more supportive city for working families
Watch the recorded press conference; read the plan
NEW YORK, NY — Following a first-of-its-kind report from the Comptroller’s Office, Brad Lander today unveiled A City That Works: Brad’s Jobs Plan, a comprehensive strategy to connect New York City’s working families to high-quality, good-paying jobs. As revealed in the Comptroller’s groundbreaking report, only one-third of New Yorkers hold jobs that pay a living wage, leaving the majority of New York City’s workers underpaid and unprotected—or working multiple part-time jobs just to get by.
“Too many New Yorkers hold jobs that are not sustainable or paying a living wage, which is crushing our working families,” said Brad Lander. “New Yorkers deserve an economy where all working families can thrive, young people can prepare for and connect to careers, and diverse entrepreneurs can grow successful businesses. As Mayor, I won’t just create jobs–I’ll tackle our affordability crisis head-on by rebuilding our city’s economy so that everyone can access quality jobs, small businesses can thrive, and our high-growth job sectors can grow.”
The Comptroller’s report, The State of Job Quality in New York City, qualified a good job as meeting four criteria: living wage pay, full time year round employment, employer sponsored health insurance, and safe working conditions (or compensating pay). In response to the report, Lander’s jobs plan is built on four pillars:
Growing the industries that create good jobs: Brad will expand high-opportunity sectors – including tech, green energy, creative industries, and modern manufacturing- through targeted investments, zoning tools, and partnerships that create strong career pathways and high-quality employment for New Yorkers.
Raising job quality for essential workers and improving job quality for all New Yorkers: Brad will raise job quality for essential care, health, and human services workers while advancing economic security for all New Yorkers. He will raise wages for underpaid human services workers, invest in healthcare workforce pipelines, and support job training, union rights, and worker protections. Brad will also champion stronger labor standards—including higher minimum wages, guaranteed paid leave, severance pay, and affordable child care—to build a fairer, more supportive city for working families.
Preparing and connecting New Yorkers to high-quality jobs: Brad will strengthen career-connected education and training by launching FutureWorks NYC to coordinate the city’s fragmented workforce systems, expand apprenticeships and CUNY-to-career pipelines, invest in high school CTE programs, and reform civil service hiring to fill over 20,000 city vacancies. His plan also includes targeted support for NYCHA residents, people with disabilities, veterans, and mid-career adults in low-wage jobs.
Empowering small businesses and diverse entrepreneurs: Brad will cut red tape, create a real one-stop shop for small business support, and scale programs for Black, Latino, and veteran-owned businesses. He will expand capital access, launch a Minority Business Accelerator, support NYCHA entrepreneurs, and stabilize commercial rents to protect neighborhood businesses.
Brad’s jobs plan will result in:
More stable, well-paying jobs in tech, green energy, creative industries, and manufacturing.
Increased wages and protections for human services workers and other essential sectors.
Expanded career pathways for youth, mid-career workers, NYCHA residents, veterans, and people with disabilities.
Stronger small businesses through real-time support, fewer fines, and fairer regulations.
Greater access to training and apprenticeships that lead directly to good jobs.
Streamlined city hiring that fills critical vacancies and modernizes civil service.
More support for diverse entrepreneurs, including Black, Latino, and veteran-owned businesses.
Stronger community hiring enforcement and fairer access to public contracts.
Stabilized commercial rents to help neighborhood businesses stay and grow.
Brad has a proven track record of driving industry growth and creating good jobs for New Yorkers. As Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center for Community Development, he launched workforce programs in green manufacturing, commercial driving, and media production that connected local residents to career-track jobs. In the City Council, he championed zoning reforms in Gowanus that created space for light industry, artist studios, and over 8,500 housing units. As Comptroller, he has overseen over $24 billion in capital investments that have supported jobs in infrastructure, housing, and climate resilience, and advanced investments in tech, clean energy, and manufacturing through city pension funds to drive long-term economic growth.
Read A City That Works: Brad’s Jobs Plan.
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