Economic Trends & Policy

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 [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-26T16:27:58-04:00March 26th, 2021|Creating Vibrant Communities, Economic Outlook, Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Good Governance, Local Tax & Budget Policy, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Policy & Research|

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 [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-25T12:15:18-04:00March 24th, 2021|Economic Outlook, Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Fact Sheets, Good Governance, NYS Budget|

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 [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-23T16:46:34-04:00March 23rd, 2021|Blog, Economic Trends & Policy, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget|

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 [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-24T12:47:48-04:00March 22nd, 2021|Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Fact Sheets, Good Governance, NYS Budget, Tax & Budget|

New York lawmakers propose tax increases on the rich. Here’s who would pay up

The New York State Senate passed its one-house budget resolution which includes raising the tax rate on those earning over $1 million a year. The Assembly supports this tax reform as well. "Big challenges require bold action and demand a combination of transformative vision and concrete commonsense response," said Jonas Shaende, chief economist for the Fiscal Policy Institute, a liberal think tank in Albany. "The Legislature’s proposals show their willingness to consider a broad array of measures to ensure New Yorkers’ health and well-being." Read the Gannett article which appears in lohud and [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-17T10:00:21-04:00March 16th, 2021|Economic Trends & Policy, FPI in the News, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget|

Tax opponents wonder if they still can count on Gov. Cuomo

As the state budget process progresses, both houses released their one-house budget proposals which include increased taxes for top earners and corporations. Critics contend these tax reforms are not needed due to federal aid. Advocates point out the long-standing need for tax reform to set the state on the right course. "The legislature’s proposals recognize the need for support to ensure all New Yorkers can live, work, access health care, and receive a sound education," the labor-backed Fiscal Policy Institute said. Read the Newsday article [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-23T12:29:57-04:00March 16th, 2021|Economic Trends & Policy, FPI in the News, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget|

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New York’s Share of the Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund

Read the full report: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New York’s Share of the Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes $350 billion in aid for states, territories, and tribal governments for the purpose of alleviating the fiscal stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the $350 billion, $195.3 billion is allocated for payments to states, $130.2 billion for city and county governments, $20 billion for tribal governments, and $4.5 billion for territories. These coronavirus fiscal recovery funds [...]

Shamier Settle2021-04-08T16:09:19-04:00March 12th, 2021|Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Federal Taxes & Budget Policy, Local Tax & Budget Policy, Must Read, NYS Budget, Policy & Research, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|

The American Rescue Plan and the New York State Budget

The year 2021 began under the threat of a historic state budget shortfall of $15 billion. Compounded by municipal and county-level fiscal stress, it imperiled funding for public services and employees – a terrible risk as New York continued to experience the social, emotional, and fiscal impacts from the pandemic. The governor’s proposed Executive Budget featured an “if-then” scenario that reflected a minimum level of $6 billion in federal aid and assumed a remaining $9 billion difference. At the same time, the governor requested $15 [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-11T16:54:05-05:00March 11th, 2021|Blog, Economic Trends & Policy, Federal Taxes & Budget Policy, NYS Budget, Tax & Budget|

Economists Push Biden On Path To Citizenship For Undocumented Immigrants

FPI joined a letter from economists urging the Biden Administration this week to include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in upcoming legislation. The letter highlighted that such an action would benefit the nation as a whole. Benefits would include increasing jobs, productivity, boost wages, and tax revenue. The group of more than 60 signatories includes former Obama economic advisor Jason Furman, Eileen Appelbaum of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and David Kallick of the Fiscal Policy Institute. Read the Forbes article [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-16T16:24:20-04:00February 12th, 2021|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Federal Taxes & Budget Policy, FPI in the News, Immigration|

Biden Urged to Legalize Migrants as Part of Infrastructure Plan

FPI joined with more than 60 economists to urge President Biden to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the soon-to-be-released economic and infrastructure plan. Such an action not only benefits those individuals, but the experts also explain that this action would help our economy by raising wages and increasing productivity and tax revenue. The economists, including President Barack Obama’s former top economist Jason Furman and David Kallick of the Fiscal Policy Institute, which champions liberal economic policies, made the proposal in a [...]

Anthony Troia2021-04-06T09:56:44-04:00February 12th, 2021|Economic Trends & Policy, Federal Taxes & Budget Policy, FPI in the News, Immigration, New York State, Other States & National|

Arts Central to New York City’s Recovery

As New York looks to restart our economic engine after the pandemic, the arts and culture play a critical role, especially in New York City. Governor Cuomo underscored that connection in his State of the State and New York State budget announcements. "Cities are by definition centers of energy, entertainment, theatre, and cuisine. Without that activity and attraction, cities lose much of their appeal. What is a city without social, cultural, and creative synergies? New York City is not New York without Broadway.” The coronavirus [...]

Anthony Troia2021-01-19T12:19:29-05:00January 19th, 2021|Blog, Economic Trends & Policy, NYS Budget|

Long Island’s Immigrants are Integral for its Economic Recovery

County Executive Steve Bellone's editorial in the Long Island Press pointed out the contributions that immigrants make to the area, including the boost they provide to the economy. The Long Island immigrant community is a vital part of our workforce and economy as a whole, with more than half working in white-collar jobs as of 2015. Immigrants make up 18 percent of the combined population of Nassau and Suffolk counties, generating 20 percent of total economic output, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute. Learn more [...]

Anthony Troia2021-03-16T15:59:04-04:00January 3rd, 2021|Blog, Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, FPI in the News, Immigration, New York State|

Congressional COVID Relief Bill Offers New York Workers Some Needed Relief

New York State’s unemployed workers will soon see some relief from the federal coronavirus relief bill passed on December 21, 2020. The bill provides $300/week in enhanced unemployment compensation (FPUC). It also extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) for another 11 weeks. In October and November of 2020, New York’s unemployment rate stood at 10 percent, with over 800,000 unemployed workers. Those most impacted by layoffs include Black workers (at 14 percent unemployed) and Hispanic and Asian workers (both at 13 percent unemployed). Comparatively, 7 percent of white workers were unemployed. Immigrant workers, a category defined as [...]

Anthony Troia2020-12-30T14:27:01-05:00December 30th, 2020|Blog, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality|

Factsheet: Expiration of CARES Act Unemployment Benefits Will Harm New Yorkers and the Economy

Unemployment claims for the weeks ending December 5 and 12, 2020, are 23 percent higher than claims from the two prior weeks, November 21 and 28. Unemployment in New York State remains historically high, with initial claims for the week of December 12 rising by as much as 400 and 500 percent in some counties. The remaining enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) programs established under the CARES Act will expire on December 26, 2020. Over 1 million New Yorkers will lose benefits when Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) expire. These programs help workers who [...]

Anthony Troia2020-12-30T09:42:54-05:00December 18th, 2020|Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Fact Sheets|

Cuts to Employment in the State and Local Public Sector will Disproportionately Harm Women and Black Workers

Governor Cuomo supports reducing state spending citing revenue shortfalls that have been fueled by the economic recession that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced or eliminated state funding could mean losing public sector jobs that employ workers in communities statewide. This loss would disproportionately impact women and Black workers who constitute the majority of public sector employees. Historically, the public sector has been an essential employer for women and people of color. Public sector employment has offered a stable path into the middle class with regulated [...]

Anthony Troia2020-12-30T09:45:19-05:00December 18th, 2020|Blog, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality|

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