Older workers now have a new resource available to help them overcome barriers to employment.  The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) and New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) have launched a new resource page that aligns with Governor Kathy Hochul’s State Master Plan for Aging and ensures that our older workers have the tools they need to stay active, engaged, and working.

This resource includes tools to help direct older workers to careers tailored to their skills and experience, training and upskilling opportunities, information about working while retired, and more.  There are also resources to help older workers identify ageism in the workplace as well as tips for avoiding scams when applying for jobs.

The Older Workers resource page is another example of how New York State has continued to build a more inclusive and supportive workforce.  This initiative highlights the critical role that older adults play in today's labor market.  Older workers are the skilled, reliable workers that employers have been looking for to fill critical positions in an evolving economic landscape.  This frequently untapped resource could be the key to many hiring issues businesses face today. 

For more information about the new offerings available to older workers, visit the resource page today.

The results are in!  The New York State Business Survey for 2024 has been released.  More than 10,000 businesses from across the state responded to our survey.  Some key takeaways from the survey include:

• Professional skills remain in high demand
• Finding and retaining workers is becoming a bit less difficult
• Businesses are seeing operational impacts from missing behaviors

Among the top challenges businesses are currently facing, “Quality of Available Workforce” and “Attracting New Workers” were still ranked at the top, but with the number of respondents citing these issues down from the previous year.  Attendance and work ethic were the most frequently cited instances of workforce behavior impacting business operations.  

To see the full results of the survey, please visit our website.

Thank you to everyone who responded.  Your input has been vital in helping us to identify the trends in today’s labor market and gives us a better picture of how to develop strategies to best tackle these issues and help your businesses thrive in the years to come.

The Freelance Isn’t Free Act has gone into effect throughout New York State.  The new law requires written contracts between freelance workers and hiring parties and creates broad protections for freelancers.  This Law aims to ensure that freelance workers receive timely compensation for all services performed.

Freelance workers are defined as any person or organization composed of no more than one person hired as an independent contractor to provide services valued at least $800.  If a freelance worker is retained by the same hiring party for multiple, smaller jobs, the employer must add the value of each contract to determine whether the Act’s requirements apply to them.

A written agreement must, at minimum, contain:

• The name and mailing address of both parties;
• An itemization of all services to be provided by the freelance worker, as well as the value of the services and the rate and method of compensation;
• Date of payment or the mechanism by which the payment date will be determined;
• Date the freelance worker must submit a list of services rendered so the hiring party can meet any internal processing deadlines for the purposes of compensation being rendered by the agreed-upon date.

For employers who do not wish to create their own contracts, the NYSDOL will be providing model contracts on our website.  If you are a freelance worker and believe your rights under the law have been violated, you can file a complaint with the New York State Attorney General.