Digital Working Papers
Teens are still required to fill out paper forms and visit their school or local offices to get working papers, while employers are required to keep the paper records on file and are hit with fines if these papers go missing.  In 2025, New York State will digitize working papers for minors and create a one-stop online portal for young people, caregivers, employers, and school administrators.  This new system will provide teens, families, and businesses with all rules about work hours and safety for teens.

New Enforcement Powers to Help Wage Theft Victims
As part of an ongoing initiative to further protect New York’s workforce from wage theft, the Governor’s proposal will give the Commissioner of Labor the authority to place liens on employers’ properties, seize financial assets, and issue stop work orders following an unpaid wage theft judgment.  Currently, NYSDOL lacks the ability to force employers to pay workers when they have been found responsible for wage theft.  This new proposal will give DOL the teeth to ensure hardworking New Yorkers are paid every cent they earn.

New Training Pathways into High-Demand Occupations
To address the hiring challenges facing employers today, especially those in high-demand industries, the DOL will launch a new initiative to support employer-led training.  This initiative will reimburse employers for a portion of the training they provide new employees who stay employed at least a year.  This investment in on-the-job training will incentivize businesses in select critical industries to offer jobseekers new training pathways into in-demand careers.

Strengthening key industries will also be handled at the high school level.  New initiatives will create in-school education programs to expose high schoolers to real-life work experience in these important industries.  DOL will bring together school districts and businesses to recruit high school students for summer work experience programs in high-demand fields.  All participating businesses will be reimbursed for 50 percent of the students’ stipends during the summer.

New Registered Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeships
New York's registered apprenticeship program is one of the most successful in the country, with nearly 18,000 apprentices across the state.  In 2025, we want to expand this great program further and incorporate more apprenticeships in high-demand occupations, like advanced manufacturing, engineering, cyber security, AI, teaching, and health care.  The governor's proposal includes funding for this expansion of apprenticeship programs to cover partial apprentice wages, training costs, and costs associated with transportation and child care.

Support Expansion of Healthcare and Social Care Workforce
Another proposal will expand support for healthcare training programs, particularly nursing training programs, under the Increasing Training Capacity in Statewide Healthcare Facilities grant program.  Grants will be provided to programs that prepare and support healthcare students, covering costs like child care, transportation, and tutoring.  Support will also be provided for Area Health Education Centers, which are local training programs that recruit younger individuals from underrepresented populations into health care professions.

If you'd like to learn more about these proposals and others, visit Governor Hochul's State of the State webpage.  There you can find highlights or take a closer look at everything the governor has proposed with a downloadable copy of the 2025 State of the State Book.

Looking to kickstart your career?  Consider New York’s cannabis industry.  Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, now is the perfect time to enter this new emerging field.

Don’t have direct cannabis experience?  That is okay because employers are looking for a wide range of experience and skills.  Transferable skills from other industries—like customer service, logistics, or marketing—are highly valued.

Not sure where to begin?  The Department of Labor’s Cannabis Webpage is your go-to resource for learning about expected industry roles, education, and how to land a cannabis job.

For questions, reach out to CEED@labor.ny.gov.  They are here to help connect you with resources that can assist you every step of the way!

NYSDOL will soon begin mailing 1099-G tax form to anyone who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in 2024.  These forms will be sent to customers' addresses on file.  You can also access a digital copy by following these instructions. 

UI benefits are taxable, and the 1099-G form shows how much you were paid or paid back to the DOL during the previous calendar year.  If you received UI benefits in 2024, you must include your 1099-G form when filing your taxes.

You can log in to your account associated with your unemployment claim by visiting labor.ny.gov/signin and clicking Unemployment Services.  Instructions to print and/or save a copy of your 1099-G for your records are available on our 1099-G webpage: on.ny.gov/1099-G.