On October 2, Governor Kathy Hochul visited Hot Bread Kitchen to announce a new statewide initiative to support asylum seekers in entering the workforce and starting new lives in our great city. The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) has identified 18,000 jobs with more than 400 employers that will be available to asylum seekers with work authorization, many of them in New York City’s vibrant food industry. Beginning October 3rd, employers and job seekers alike will be able to connect through an online portal via the DOL, which will bridge a major gap in our workforce.
Governor Hochul stopped by the kitchen to talk with members of our Culinary Fundamentals program prior to the announcement, and was joined by DOL Commissioner Roberta Reardon, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and food industry leaders Andrew Rigie and Danny Meyer. Our CEO, Leslie Abbey, also had the opportunity to share remarks about this important initiative.
Hot Bread Kitchen wholeheartedly supports providing work authorization to asylum seekers in New York, period. We applaud all that Governor Hochul and DOL are doing to promote migrants’ ability to work in the city and across the state—especially in the food industry, which has long been a critical entry point to the workforce for newcomers to this country.
