On Sept. 28 New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani officially launched a new employment center in Lower Manhattan designed to help New Yorkers find jobs in city government and navigate what can be a complicated civil service hiring process.
The Jobs NYC Center, located at 2 Lafayette Street, will offer walk-in career assistance, hiring events, workshops and direct connections with city agencies looking for workers. Regular walk-in services are scheduled to begin Oct. 5.
According to the official Mayor’s Office press release, the center was developed jointly by the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), converting a long-vacant city-owned space into a permanent workforce development hub.
“Every New Yorker deserves a real shot at a good job, including serving the city they call home,” Mamdani said. “The path to public service should not be difficult to navigate. The Jobs NYC Center will help New Yorkers find the right opportunity, understand what it takes to get hired and build a career in public service.”
City government has thousands of vacancies
The center is opening as New York City continues to contend with thousands of unfilled government positions.
As of Aug. 31, the city had 292,808 employees compared with 307,199 authorized positions, leaving 14,391 vacancies, or a vacancy rate of about 4.7 percent, according to figures from the city comptroller’s staffing dashboard reported by amNewYork.
Some agencies have substantially higher vacancy rates. The Department of Social Services had 1,860 vacancies, representing nearly 15 percent of its authorized positions, while the Administration for Children’s Services had 676 vacancies, according to the same data.
The city’s hiring system has also faced criticism over the length and complexity of the civil service process. Earlier this year, City Council Civil Service and Labor Committee Chair Shirley Aldebol said it could take six months for someone called from a civil service list to actually be hired.
The new center is intended to give applicants in-person help identifying openings, preparing applications and understanding civil service exams. Agencies will also be able to hold interviews and hiring events at the location.
DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei noted that the city’s civil service testing center is located in the same building, allowing applicants seeking positions that require an exam to access both services at one location.
The center will also provide assistance to existing city employees seeking promotions or other career opportunities. Planned services include workshops on public service careers, information about upcoming civil service exams, training programs and networking events.
First hiring event adds 17 workers to NYC BEST
Although the center is only now formally launching, it began holding events during a soft opening in August.
Its first hiring hall resulted in 17 people being hired for the NYC Business Express Service Team, or NYC BEST, an SBS unit that helps business owners navigate city permits, licenses and inspections. Mamdani swore in the new employees during the Sept. 28 launch.
According to amNewYork, the 17 employees joined a 13-person team, bringing that portion of NYC BEST to 30 workers. The expansion is part of the administration’s effort to increase staffing at the business-assistance program.
The Jobs NYC program itself predates the Mamdani administration. Launched in 2024, the initiative has helped 47 city agencies and public institutions recruit workers, including the Department of Education, NYC Health + Hospitals and the City University of New York. The Lafayette Street location gives the program a permanent physical hub in Manhattan.
The Jobs NYC Center will offer career services, hiring halls, workshops, employer recruitment assistance and community workforce events. Unscheduled walk-in services will generally be available Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to amNewYork.
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