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New York City Council
Oversight - Office of Community Hiring
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Council staff welcomes attendees to the Committee on Workforce Development, asks that electronics be silenced, directs those wishing to testify to the Sergeant at Arms, and tells the chair she may begin.
Chair Julie Won welcomes attendees to the oversight hearing on the Office of Community Hiring and recognizes Council Members Hanif and Epstein.
Won describes community hiring as using city contracts to hire low-income New Yorkers, NYCHA residents, and residents of high-poverty neighborhoods. She notes 2023 state authorization, January 2025 rules, and an initial projection of 36,000 jobs annually.
Won says OCH's latest quarterly report shows 179 contracts worth about $3 billion with hiring goals, up from 60 contracts worth $1 billion. She highlights low progress on construction and service contracts, implausible percentages, and missing required data on hires, pay, and demographics.
Won questions whether OCH has enough staff to follow up on reporting, asks what happened to the first $1.2 billion security and fire safety procurement, and warns against repeating Hire NYC's pending referrals. She states the hearing goals: real hire counts, a publication date for required data, and a vendor accountability plan.
Won thanks committee staff Alex Polonoff, William Hongnek, and Spencer Kuhn, acknowledges the mayor's public hiring push, and turns the floor over to committee counsel to administer the oath.
Senior Counsel Alex Polonoff identifies himself, asks all administration witnesses to raise their right hands, and administers the truth oath.
Douglas Harry, Executive Director of NYC Talent, introduces himself and G. Lee, Executive Director of the Office of Community Hiring, and thanks the committee for the invitation.
Harry describes NYC Talent's mission to connect New Yorkers to good jobs and employers to local talent, noting the public workforce ecosystem includes over 120 programs across nearly 30 agencies.
Harry explains community hiring as a first-of-its-kind program embedding equity into city contracting. It applies to construction, human services, standard services, and professional services, and OCH manages rollout, support, and reporting.
Harry reports 528 contracts with community hiring goals representing $13.3 billion in value, and approximately 1,200 community hires employed by vendors to date, though most contracts are early in their terms.
Harry describes the formal rulemaking process after the 2023 state law, including engagement with 120 external partners and 47 city agencies. The community hiring rules took effect January 23, 2025.
Harry says 2025 focused on training city agency staff to set goals on applicable contracts. OCH reviewed Passport procurements, held about 200 meetings, trained over 115 staff from 27 agencies, and completed a phased rollout by September 2025.
Harry describes vendor preparation through FAQs, procurement events, and 77 pre-solicitation conferences. OCH established a referral source network of 81 organizations, including unions, Workforce One centers, HRA Business Link, and community-based organizations.
Harry says accountability is embedded through quarterly reports on contracts and vendor progress. OCH has published nine quarterly reports but is still building digital infrastructure for data tracking.
Harry notes city procurement is complicated and embedding community hiring requires digital systems, labor partnerships, and stakeholder preparation. He says progress is significant but more work remains, and he is ready for questions.
Chair Won thanks Harry for his testimony and acknowledges that Council Member Phil Wong has joined the hearing.
Won asks how many New Yorkers have been hired as community hires since January 2025, including residence-based hires on construction and building service contracts and income-based hires on service contracts. Harry says about 1,200 total, with roughly 1,136 income-based and about 70 residence-based.
Won asks how many hours community hires have worked on construction contracts and what percentage of total hours that represents. Harry says he does not have the exact number but will get back to her.
Won notes that Consumer Protection Chair Harvey Epstein has joined and yields to him for questions before he has to leave.
Epstein asks how outreach works for community hires and how residents learn about opportunities. Harry describes the referral source network, including SBS, HRA, labor unions, and about 28 CBO providers.
Epstein asks why the Council is not used as a partner, noting his weekly e-blast reaches 40,000 people. Harry welcomes partnership and says outreach will increase as more contracts register.
Epstein asks for a list of the 28 CBO partners, mentioning United Neighborhood Houses and Henry Street's Jobs Plus program. Harry says OCH can provide the list.
Epstein mentions settlement houses and workforce programs in his district that are not on the list and asks whether they are partnering with OCH. Harry says OCH has relationships with some and anticipates the list will grow.
Won asks Harry to read the names of the 28 CBOs and explain how they were chosen, including whether selection is by borough or population served. Harry begins explaining the referral source network.
Harry says OCH started with the public workforce system, then expanded to city-contracted nonprofit providers, NYCHA, and CUNY. He says referral sources now cover all five boroughs.
Harry reads the list of 28 community-based organization referral sources under DYCD contracts, including Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, Chinatown Manpower Project, Chinese American Planning Council, and others.
Epstein encourages OCH to reach out to Council offices and communications staff, and names Henry Street, Grand Street Settlement, Asian Americans for Equality, and University Settlement as missing partners.
Epstein describes a veteran in his district who has been job searching for six months and did not know about community hiring. He says poor communication is a problem. Harry agrees to work with the Council to expand outreach.
Epstein asks how many employment opportunities OCH expects over the next three years. Harry says goals are driven by city procurement and will vary, noting $13 billion in registered contracts and 528 contracts.
Epstein asks how many potential jobs are available across the 528 contracts. Harry says he does not have that exact number and that OCH is beginning to work with vendors to identify opportunities.
Epstein asks for a two-week update on available contracts and job types, saying real data will help the Council understand whether the program is creating 5,000 jobs or five. Harry agrees to follow up in two weeks.
Epstein says knowing job types and industries will help nonprofits and training programs prepare workers. Harry notes many contracts are multi-year and vendors may not know all hiring needs on day one.
Epstein asks that the follow-up include the types of expertise and positions needed. Harry says community hiring covers entry-level and professional jobs across construction, human services, standard services, and professional services.
Epstein thanks Harry and Chair Won for the time. Won thanks Epstein.
Won asks whether recruiters at Jobs NYC hiring halls are recruiting for community hiring, how someone inquiring about community hiring is served, and about staffing and hours. She cites complaints about long lines and poor follow-up.
Harry says the new Jobs NYC Center focuses on city jobs, while community hiring is for non-city contracted vendors. He says SBS staffs the site and can route people to Workforce One services.
Won asks how the administration separates NYC Talent, the Office of Community Hiring, and SBS in workforce development. Harry explains OCH is part of NYC Talent, which works across city partners including SBS.
Won asks how OCH checks whether contractors on project labor agreements follow the agreement's referral process, not just the 30% hiring goal. Harry says OCH monitors progress through certified payroll reports and works with building trades.
Won asks what results PLA-covered construction contracts have shown. Harry says 23.75% of all hours have been performed by community hires based on available data.
Won asks OCH to differentiate PLA and non-PLA tracking, and asks who decides whether a PLA contractor made best efforts and what happens next. Harry says OCH works with agencies and vendors on a bespoke best-efforts process.
Won yields to Council Member Phil Wong. Wong asks how OCH identifies contracts with community hiring goals and what it does to reach contracts without goals.
Harry says many contracts are newly registered and the count will grow to 528 contracts worth $13.3 billion. He explains community hiring applies to most service contracts valued at $3 million or more, excluding goods contracts.
Wong asks what outreach is done to high school and college graduates who do not go to college, saying he had never heard of the Office of Community Hiring before today.
Harry says most outreach is through the referral source network. He cites a September 30 HRA community hiring job fair with 25 employers, 388 job seekers, and 16 conditional offers.
Wong invites OCH to hold a job fair in his district. Chair Won thanks Wong.
Won asks about a PACE contract in Queens with a goal of 31 hires showing 1,229% progress and an ACS contract showing 18.67%. She asks what the figures represent and whether they are typos.
Won asks Harry to quantify the 1,229% figure. Harry says the vendor is exceeding its goal because goals are formula-based and hiring needs vary; he does not have exact math on the spot.
Won asks whether vendors self-report or OCH inspects and collects data. Harry says construction uses digital certified payroll reports, while non-construction data comes from referral sources and vendors, with a digital tool being implemented.
Won asks how OCH collects non-construction data before the digital tool is in place. Harry says it is a mix of information from referral sources and vendors, with verification through referral sources.
Won asks what happens to vendors that fail to report. Harry says there is a penalty mechanism under the law and rules, but OCH prefers to work with employers first and can assess financial penalties for failure to make best efforts.
Won asks how the penalty is calculated and whether it is a percentage of contract sum. Harry says he will share the rules and contract language, noting the penalty can scale with severity and lack of participation.
Won asks whether the former administration's projection of 36,000 jobs annually is still accurate and when full implementation is expected. Harry says the projection was based on estimated procurement spend and labor market analysis, and OCH is continuing to assess hiring needs.
Won asks how OCH aligns community hiring requirements with actual employer demand, especially in healthcare. Harry says goals are formula-based for ease of administration and NYC Talent has industry partnerships, including in healthcare.
Won asks where contractors have the greatest difficulty meeting hiring goals and what barriers exist. Harry says it is early and OCH does not yet have sector-specific analysis but will use data to inform training.
Won notes public shortages of social workers and nurses and asks about city partnerships with CUNY to help people finish education. Harry says NYC Talent focuses on apprenticeships and increasing opportunities beyond community hiring.
Won cites the FY2027 adopted budget of $1.7 million and 16 positions for OCH, with $388,200 for contractual services. She asks about the vacancy rate and invites G. Lee to speak.
Harry defers to G. Lee on OCH staffing. G. Lee says the Office of Community Hiring currently has a team of eight: six full-time employees, one civic corps member, and one intern.
Won notes the budget funds 16 positions but OCH has eight people, implying a 50% vacancy rate. Harry says some headcount is at other agencies supporting community hiring.
Harry says two community hiring headcount are staffed at SBS to embed the work in the public workforce system. Won notes eight plus two is ten, leaving six positions unaccounted for.
Won asks where the remaining positions are. Harry says OCH currently has three vacancies on the community hiring budget and will follow up with updated data.
Won asks what the three vacancies are and whether any key positions are difficult to fill. Harry says OCH is evaluating needs based on digital systems and does not have active postings on the community hiring side.
Won asks whether additional positions or funding would help OCH reach the 36,000 jobs goal. Harry says OCH would never say no to resources but is excited about digital tools reducing person-power needs.
Won asks how many and what type of contracts the $388,200 set-aside supports. G. Lee says OCH is investing in technology to implement, scale, and track the program, with broader workforce system benefits.
Won asks whether the money is unspent and whether it goes to one technology contract. Harry says some money is under contract for a consultant helping with technical implementation; G. Lee identifies the firm as JK Consultant.
Won notes the city charter requires quarterly reports to include demographics, compensation, total hires by contract type, and financial benefits, but OCH reports lack this. Harry says OCH will publish more data and gives preliminary borough breakdowns for human services hires.
Won asks OCH to share demographic breakdowns internally with the Council. Harry agrees to provide the data and contextualize it relative to the quarterly reports.
Won notes the fourth quarter FY2026 report still does not state the number of people hired. Harry says OCH has about 1,200 hires to date and will ensure reports include required information.
Won says 94 service contracts carry about 3,150 income-based hire goals, and 53 show no progress. She asks whether no hires were made or just not reported. Harry says it is likely a mix of recent contracts, future hiring needs, and incomplete data collection.
Won notes only eight of 83 construction contracts reported progress, and six were below the 30% goal. She asks what OCH and DDC have done. Harry says many contracts are incomplete and hiring needs vary by project stage.
Won says all five contracts with apprenticeship goals that reported progress showed zero hours by community hire apprentices against a 9% goal. Harry says apprenticeships are important but it is early and OCH expects more apprentices.
Won asks how many of the 700 pre-apprenticeship positions announced in November 2025 have been filled and how community hiring contributes to the 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030 goal. Harry says he does not have the data but will follow up.
Won asks how OCH decides whether a vendor made best efforts, who decides, and how it is reviewed. Harry says the framework comes from state law and is not one-size-fits-all; OCH looks for meaningful participation with the workforce system.
Won asks whether any agency has issued a notice of noncompliance or assessed a penalty under community hiring rules. Harry says not yet to date.
Won asks how a vendor's community hiring record will be considered in future contract awards. Harry says failure to meet goals or make best efforts can be reflected in performance evaluations and future contract considerations.
Won notes NYC Talent previously said over 200 procurements were on the street and the program could reach $20 billion annually. She asks how many solicitations with goals have been released and awarded. Harry says 528 registered contracts worth $13.3 billion and 362 procurements worth $18.4 billion released.
Won asks which agencies have released procurements with community hiring goals and which have not. Harry says the last report had 14 agencies, and the next report will show nearly all mayoral agencies, upwards of 20.
Won asks whether OCH has approved CBOs as referral sources and whether it plans a solicitation to expand the network. Harry says OCH has 28 CBOs and is continuing to work with agency partners to expand.
Won asks how OCH tracks referral outcomes. Harry says OCH is putting digital infrastructure in place to streamline coordination and track referrals from CBOs and agencies.
Won says OCH declined to lower the income threshold for income-based community hires from 300% to 150% of federal poverty guidelines. She asks whether that remains the case. Harry says the 300% threshold was based on feedback from CBO and agency partners.
Won initially apologizes, then clarifies that 300% of the poverty line means higher income than 150%. Harry confirms 300% expands the population to higher incomes, and Won retracts her apology.
Harry says the 300% threshold was not decided independently; OCH worked with HRA and CBO partners to continue serving low-income populations. He notes many of the 1,200 hires are on public assistance.
Won notes NYC Talent previously testified to 37 staff and asks how many work on community hiring. Harry says the core team is eight, with additional data, external, and operational support.
Won asks what has been completed and what remains in integrating community hiring into procurement and digitizing reporting. Harry says OCH has gone from zero to 528 contracts and 1,200 hires, and is digitizing construction payroll and building broader data systems.
Won asks what average salary a community hire can expect. Harry says jobs vary widely across construction, human services, standard services, and professional services, and many are prevailing wage or union jobs.
Won asks G. Lee what her top operational priority is and what results to expect next quarter. G. Lee says her priority is building program infrastructure, including digital systems, vendor outreach, and strengthening the referral source network.
Won asks how OCH engages small businesses and MWBEs beyond current city vendors. G. Lee says OCH attends procurement fairs, educates MWBEs, and uses newsletters through agency partners and its own quarterly newsletter.
Won asks whether OCH outreach has language access and what languages are available. G. Lee says English is currently primary, with plans to expand, and OCH leans on referral partners for other languages.
Won yields to Wong for a second round. Wong asks how a community hire is defined. G. Lee says it is defined by state law based on economic factors: low-income individuals and residents of low-income communities.
Wong asks whether community hires must live in New York City. Harry says the definition is based on economic criteria under state law, though outreach is primarily targeted to New Yorkers.
Wong asks whether income baselines are state guidelines or set by OCH. G. Lee says they are based on federal poverty guidelines.
Wong asks what percentage of a vendor's jobs must be community hires. Harry says construction has a 30% hours goal, while other contracts have numerical goals based on contract value and hiring needs, not a fixed percentage.
Wong asks what incentive vendors have to participate in community hiring. Harry says vendors receiving city contracts have a responsibility to hire from the workforce system, and the city offers free workforce services and access to talent.
Won thanks Executive Directors Harry and Lee, says she looks forward to working with them, and moves to public testimony.
Won opens the floor for public testimony, reminds attendees of decorum rules, explains how to sign up, gives two minutes per speaker, and provides instructions for submitting written testimony.
Won calls the first panel, Gregory Morris and Anthony DeCarl, and asks if anyone else wishes to testify.
Greg Morris, CEO of the New York City Implementing Training Coalition, supports community hiring but says accountability and data are weak. He criticizes the $2,500 penalty as too small, calls for more NYC Talent staffing, and notes hiring halls served 20,000 people with only 2,000 conditional offers.
Anthony DeCarlos, a former hospitality worker, testifies about New York Labor Law Section 210B, which takes effect November 8 and gives workers the right to see personnel files. He asks the committee to make this right part of the community hiring pipeline so workers can correct records before they affect employment.
Won thanks the witnesses, notes no one is online to testify, and declares the hearing over.