Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber and Department of Small Business Services Commissioner (SBS) Robert W. Walsh today announced the City has placed New Yorkers in 20,000 jobs since the beginning of this year, up 42 percent from this time last year. After achieving a record high of more than 17,000 job placements in 2008, Mayor Bloomberg set the goal of 20,000 job placements in his 2009 State of the City speech. To achieve it, the City expanded its Workforce1  Career Center hours, created new sector-based workforce centers and focused on identifying job opportunities in growth industries. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at a 1010 WINS 5-Borough Business Breakfast at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Downtown Brooklyn.

“Despite the economic recession that continues to plague the entire nation, our Workforce1 Career Centers have achieved the record 20,000 job placements we set out to achieve, and they’ve done it ahead of schedule,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Many New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet or they’re worried about losing their jobs. City government can’t end the national recession, but these job placements show we can make a real difference for individuals and families. They are the latest indication that there are businesses in all five boroughs that are growing and hiring, and we’re doing everything we can to support them.”

“Unlike other workforce systems in the nation, we work directly with businesses to identify employment opportunities and link the best candidates to these jobs,” said SBS Commissioner Walsh. “Understanding the needs of the businesses in our communities and our direct relationship with jobseekers are the reasons we have reached today’s milestone of placing a record number of New Yorkers in jobs.”

Since the beginning of this year, the Workforce1 Career Centers have made 20,620 job placements, with 5,362 placements in the Bronx; 3,557 placements in Brooklyn; 3,203 placements in Manhattan; 6,669 placements in Queens; and 1,829 placements in Staten Island. Centers have connected jobseekers to positions in fields such as healthcare, retail, accommodation and food services, transportation and warehousing, and educational services, among others. The City is on pace to place New Yorkers in about 23,000 jobs by the end of 2009.

The 20,000^th placement occurred at AJ Wright, an apparel and home fashions retailer which – with significant support from NYC Business Solutions’ recruitment services – today opened its 4th location in New York City and first in Brooklyn. NYC Business Solutions, in partnership with the Workforce1 Career Centers, the New York State Department of Labor, and other community partners, hosted several recruitment events for AJ Wright which resulted in the hiring 119 new employees for its new Brooklyn location.

“The staff at Workforce1 was very professional and gave me all the support I needed. They helped me every step of the way in finding a new job,” said Edward Broomfield, the 20,000^th New Yorker placed in a job this year. After being laid off from his job of 20 years in September, Broomfield starts his new job as a merchandise associate at AJ Wright today.

“The team at NYC Business Solutions Center gave us a great deal of support by helping us to identify qualified candidates from the community and assisting us in building a great staff for our new store,” said Bill Hernandez, District Manager for AJ Wright.

Since the beginning of this year, SBS, through the Workforce1 Career Centers and NYC Business Solutions centers, has worked with more than 4,000 New York businesses to recruit candidates for their openings. In the Bronx, SBS supported The Home Depot in opening a new store helping the company hire over 90 new employees, and it helped TGI Fridays hire 60 new employees for its new location. Other companies that have been assisted in the hiring process include Montefiore Medical Hospital, Worksman Trading Corp, a bicycle manufacturing company, Saramax Apparel Group, a clothing manufacturer, and many others.

Last month, the City opened its second sector-based center, the Workforce1 Healthcare Career Center in Queens, to connect New Yorkers to advanced training and employment opportunities in a growing field. The sector approach focuses on growth sectors and leads to higher wages for workers and better outcomes for businesses. In June 2008, The Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity worked with SBS to launch its first sector-based career center, the Workforce1 Transportation Career Center in Queens. To date, the center has placed customers in over 1,500 jobs. In the next month, the City will continue to scale up this successful approach and open a third sector-based center in Brooklyn that will focus on placing New Yorkers in jobs in the manufacturing industry.

Last October, Mayor Bloomberg pledged to create jobs and support the City’s workforce, small businesses and homeowners. As part of the plan, the Administration has implemented several initiatives including: expanding capacity at existing Workforce1 Career Centers; creating Careerlinknyc.com, a comprehensive website to assist laid-off workers; upgrading Workforce1 Career Center technology infrastructure by investing nearly $3 million to enhance the process of matching jobseekers to job opportunities; and opening new sector-based career centers. NYC's Workforce1 Career Centers reach New Yorkers across the City's five boroughs. New Yorkers can find and prepare for employment with free services, including career counseling; advice on how to interview for a job; assistance creating resumes and cover letters; job placement services; career workshops; employer recruitment events; and connection to occupational skills training.  New Yorkers can find their nearest Workforce1 Career Center by calling 311.

Providing job training for New Yorkers and helping place them in jobs is a central part of the Bloomberg Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, a comprehensive strategy to create jobs for New Yorkers today, implement a long-term vision for growing the City’s economy, and build affordable, attractive neighborhoods in every borough. To learn more about the plan, visit nyc.gov.