Recent Work
State and Local Employment in New York, Cut in the Pandemic, Has Been Down for a Decade
Read the full report here: State and Local Employment in New York, Cut in the Pandemic, Has Been Down for a Decade State and local government employment is vital to our economy and our quality of life. State and local governments—and their employees—exist because New Yorkers have decided over generations that we need people who are dedicated and trained to teach our children, clean our streets, protect our communities, maintain our highways and bridges, and perform hundreds of other jobs. The number of public employees in New York fell substantially during the pandemic, by an annual average of over 55,000 [...]
Undocumented Women in NYC Particularly Hard Hit by “She-Cession”
Something different has happened during the COVID recession than is typical for other recessions: there has been noticeably more job loss among women than among men. Dr. C Nicole Mason, President of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, coined the term “she-cession” to describe this gendered pattern of job loss that is the converse of what in 2008-09 was sometimes called a “mancession.” Women of color, as Mason notes, have been even more starkly impacted by job loss, a double impact since they started in a more economically precarious position. Undocumented women are triply impacted by the COVID pandemic: as [...]
Make Care Work, Fair Work
FPI's Shamier Settle was interviewed on Equal Rights & Justice radio, WBAI 99.5 FM with Marrisa Senteno, Co-Director of the NY Chapter of the National Domestic Workers's Alliance. FPI's report, Domestic Workers are Essential Workers: By the Numbers in New York , was highlighted in this episode of Equal Rights and Justice with Mimi Rosenberg. Listen to the interview below.
Domestic Workers are Essential Workers: By the Numbers in New York
Download the full report: "Domestic Workers Are Essential Workers: By the Numbers in New York" Throughout the coronavirus crisis domestic workers have been placed under a double pressure. Already underpaid, many have lost their jobs, or lost hours on the job, putting them under added financial stress. Even when on the job, however, domestic workers find themselves under added physical and psychological stress, acting as essential workers during a pandemic at some risk to their own health as they protect the health of others. Domestic workers include house cleaners, nannies, and home care aides who care for people with disabilities [...]
Domestic Workers in New York: By the Numbers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2021 Contact: Shamier Settle, ssettle@fiscalpolicy.org, 347-834-5760 Domestic Workers are Essential Workers: By the Numbers in New York Domestic Workers are Essential to our Economy and will be highlighted in Biden Infrastructure Plan Read the report: “Domestic Workers are Essential Workers: By the Numbers in New York” (Albany, NY) –Domestic workers are doing the intense and intimate labor of caring for our families and our households. As the fallout of the global pandemic has made clear, they are essential to our economy. Domestic workers include house cleaners, nannies, and home care aides who care for people [...]
Why older Americans with student loan debt might want to consider refinancing
When people hear the phrase "student loan debt" they usually picture young adults. However, more and more older adults carry education debt which can impact their financial security and inter in their ability to afford essential expenses, especially in their retirement years. Unfortunately, according to recent research from the Fiscal Policy Institute, Americans aged 60 and up are actually the fastest-growing age segment within the student loan market. In just the past decade, the number of adults 60 and over who have student loan debt has quadrupled. And the amount these seniors owe has also risen dramatically. In 2012, individuals [...]
Fact Sheet: State and Local Government Employment Has Been Largely Static, With Full-Time Jobs Eliminated in Critical Areas
Full-time employment in state government jobs grew by only 1 percent in New York State between 2010-2019, with the number of those employed totaling just over 236,000 in 2019. At the same time, local government employment decreased by 1 percent for full-time employees, with the number of employed totaling just over 882,000 in 2019, down from 893,000 in 2010. Full-time employment losses in both state and local government affected the areas of health, natural resources, and social and public welfare. Employment losses in health and social and public welfare erode our safety net and contribute to racial and ethnic and [...]
Fact Sheet: Black New York Workers Have Been Hit Hard By The Pandemic Statewide
THE COVID‐19 PANDEMIC HAD AN UNPRECEDENTED EFFECT ON THE JOBS AND INCOMES OF NEW YORK STATE RESIDENTS, in addition to upending social norms and taking the lives of thousands. However, the pandemic’s burden was not evenly distributed across our population. The Fiscal Policy Institute found that Black workers statewide, who already had a higher rate of unemployment prior to the pandemic, experienced even greater losses. Our first analysis compares the employment measures among Black New Yorkers between March to November 2019 and March to November 2020 – in other words, before and during the pandemic. While unemployment (the U‐3 rate) [...]
A Tax Credit for Working New Yorkers
New York State’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a proven program that working New Yorkers rely on. The EITC keeps more money in workers’ pockets, providing more money to spend on essentials like food, transportation, housing, education, and child care. The EITC is a critical support for workers, their families, local economies, and the state! Before the pandemic, far too many New Yorkers were unable to earn a stable and sufficient income through work. This problem persisted despite the recent increases to our state’s minimum wage. Then COVID struck and the pandemic’s economic disproportionately affected our state’s part-time, hourly, [...]
A Tax Credit for New York State Workers Hit Hardest by the Pandemic
Our state's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) keeps more money in workers' pockets, helping them pay for essentials including food, transportation, housing, education, and child care, as well as cover extra expenses. This tax credit is even more beneficial during the pandemic. The New York State Assembly's FY 2022 One-House Budget Proposal includes expanding the state EITC from 30 percent of the federal credit to 40 percent of the federal credit beginning in Tax Year 2021. That is a 25 percent increase to the maximum credit amounts – which means more than a million New York workers can keep even [...]
Fact Sheet: New York State Must Invest in Not‐for‐Profit Service Providers to Protect New Yorkers and Advance Equity
The Social Assistance subsector includes workers who provide direct and vital social assistance services to consumers, including vulnerable and at-risk populations and communities. It consists of the following industry groups: Individual and Family Services; Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services; Vocational Rehabilitation Services; Child Day Care Services.1 In 2019, there were nearly 380,000 people estimated to be employed in New York’s social assistance subsector by not-for-profit, government, and private employers, 133,000 of whom (35 percent) were employed by not-for-profits. In New York State, total not-for-profit employment is largest in the Individual and Family Services and Child and Day Care Services industries. Within the Social Assistance subsector, 2019 average annual wages were $31,545, growing only 17 percent from [...]
One Year Into Pandemic, Thousands Of Excluded Workers Are Still Begging For Relief
This Gothamist article tells the personal story of an excluded worker and the on-going efforts in New York State to create an excluded worker fund. Excluded workers are those who have lost work due to COVID, but have been excluded from any federal or state relief (federal stimulus or state unemployment due to their immigration status or recent incarceration. “The need is urgent,” said David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of the Fiscal Policy Institute’s Immigration Research Initiative. “Unemployment insurance has been a lifesaver to so many New Yorkers. This would extend that same help to people who have been left out [...]
Report Finds $3.5B Needed for Aiding Excluded Workers During Pandemic
The New York State Senate and Assembly both supported creating a fund to provide unemployment insurance to workers who are excluded from the unemployment insurance system, primarily undocumented immigrants and people leaving incarceration during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both houses included $2.1 billion in their one-house budgets. The report shows that while $2.1 billion is an impressive signal from the legislature, $3.5 billion is the amount that is needed to match the minimum benefits other workers receive and to continue that aid through the end of the year. The total includes $3.4 billion for benefits, and $110 million for administration and [...]
Unemployment Compensation for Excluded Workers: $3.5 Billion Needed for 2020 and 2021
The New York State Assembly and Senate both support creating a fund to provide unemployment insurance to workers who are excluded from the unemployment insurance system, primarily undocumented immigrants and people leaving incarceration during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both houses included $2.1 billion in their one-house budgets this week, the starting points for negotiating the final state budget. This is an impressive commitment to a critical priority. However, matching the minimum level of benefits that other unemployed New Yorkers receive and extending the aid through the end of 2021 would require $3.5 billion: $3.4 billion in aid, and $110 million for [...]
“Legislature Supports $2.1 Billion in Aid to Excluded Workers; Report Shows $3.5 is Needed”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2021 Media Contact: communications@fiscalpolicy.org, 518-786-3156 “Legislature Supports $2.1 Billion in Aid to Excluded Workers; Report Shows $3.5 is Needed” Read FPI’s report: Unemployment Compensation for Excluded Workers: $3.5 Billion Needed for 2020 and 2021 (Albany, NY) – New York State may be on the brink of providing unemployment benefits to workers who are currently excluded from the state’s unemployment insurance fund. The New York State Assembly and Senate both support a fund of $2.1 billion to extend benefits to undocumented workers and people leaving incarceration during the pandemic, and advocates are pressing for a fund [...]