Young Adults Reveal the Health of NYC’s Economy
Across New York City, fragmented paths from school to work hold young adults back. Getting ahead depends on workarounds often beyond their reach. These barriers to economic mobility ripple across education, work, and community, slowing down a city built for momentum.
110,589
16- to 24-Year-Olds in NYC are Out of School and Out of Work
Disconnected paths from school to work hold thousands of young people back.
51%
of NYC Jobs Held by Young Adults are Part-Time
This limits access to stable income, benefits, and career advancement.
72%
of US Job Openings Will Require Some Postsecondary Training by 2031
The demand for credentials beyond a high school diploma continues to grow.
From Fragmentation to Integration
In deep partnership with workforce organizations, educators, businesses, and philanthropic leaders, JobsFirst NYC addresses root cause barriers to economic mobility for young adults and their communities.
Let’s Move in Sync for Young Adults and Their Communities
JobsFirst NYC works with local partners to create clear, connected steps—so young adults and their communities can turn skills, interests, and ambition into real opportunity across the city.
Funding often moves faster than the systems it flows through. Without an integrated design, good investments get stuck in siloes. Your investment allows us to bring local partners into sync around young adult transitions, turning complex systems into clear steps with lasting results.
Talent pipelines are inconsistent and training rarely keeps pace with industry shifts. Effective approaches often stay isolated. We partner across sectors to build solutions that advance both business growth and worker economic mobility.
Programs can only go so far when the systems supporting them run on separate tracks. We mobilize local teams to co-design solutions that reflect and work in New York City.
Without education and workforce system integration, the path from learning to work is difficult to navigate. We build partnerships across schools, training providers, businesses, and industries so young adults can move through transitions with clarity, support, and confidence.
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Aligned Systems, Stronger Futures
Explore how JobsFirst NYC can help your organization align with partners, maximize impact, and build clearer paths to economic mobility for young adults and their communities.
FAQ
JobsFirst NYC designs and advances solutions that align work, education, and community systems across New York City. As a Local Driver, JobsFirst NYC holds the coordination process for cross-sector partners: connecting young adults to clearer paths and stronger opportunities across the five boroughs.
JobsFirst NYC partners with workforce organizations, employers, schools, community-based organizations, and philanthropic investors across New York City. Together, they build the infrastructure that turns fragmented systems into coordinated pathways for young adults.
More than 110,589 16- to 24-year-olds in New York City are out of school and out of work. More than half of NYC jobs held by young adults are part-time, limiting access to stable income and career advancement. These are not individual failures; they are system gaps JobsFirst NYC is designed to close.
For nearly two decades, JobsFirst NYC has shown what’s possible when work, education, and community move as one for young adults and their communities. JobsFirst brings these communities together through a shared design, enabling Local Drivers like JobsFirst NYC, JobsFirst NEPA, and JobsFirst Southern Nevada to lead locally while learning collectively.
JobsFirst NYC partners with organizations ready to coordinate on behalf of young adults. Reach out through our partner request form to start a conversation about how your organization can contribute to building stronger pathways across New York City.