For many New Yorkers interested in working for the city government, figuring out where to begin can be challenging. Understanding the civil service examination process, preparing applications and documents, and finding out which agencies are hiring can often be difficult for job seekers.
To make that process easier, New York City has opened a new Jobs NYC Center in Manhattan. Located at 2 Lafayette Street, the center will provide New Yorkers with assistance in finding public-sector jobs, preparing applications, navigating the civil service process and connecting directly with city agencies that are hiring.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani officially opened the center on Monday, September 28, joined by Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kenny Minaya and Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Yume Kitasei.
The center was developed jointly by the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), transforming a long-vacant city-owned space into a hub for career services and workforce development. Regular walk-in services are scheduled to begin Monday, October 5.
The center will host job fairs, hiring halls, workforce-development events and workshops, while also providing opportunities for job seekers to meet directly with representatives of city agencies.
The Jobs NYC Center is not only intended for people seeking their first city job. Current municipal employees will also be able to receive assistance with promotions and career advancement. The center will offer career panels and workshops, civil service examination schedules, training opportunities and networking and affinity-group events.
“Every New Yorker deserves a real shot at a good job, including serving the city they call home,” Mayor Mamdani said. He added that the path to public service should not be difficult to navigate and that the center would help New Yorkers identify opportunities, understand the hiring requirements and build careers in public service.
Deputy Mayor Julie Su said she had spoken with workers across the city who assumed that public-sector employment was not for them because the process seemed too complicated, involved extensive paperwork and offered little guidance on where to seek help.
The new center, she said, is intended to change that by allowing New Yorkers to walk in, receive assistance and find a path toward stable employment with the city.
SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya said public service has long been an important route to stable employment for New Yorkers. He said the center would help connect more residents with civil service careers while also helping city agencies recruit the workers they need.
DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei said the city had converted the long-vacant space at 2 Lafayette Street into the new employment hub. Because a civil service testing center is located upstairs in the same building, job seekers can access different parts of the city hiring process in one location.
City Council Member Shirley Aldebol, chair of the Council’s Civil Service and Labor Committee, said improving workforce pipelines and modernizing the city’s hiring systems were important to filling vacancies. She said making the application process easier to understand could increase access to city jobs while helping municipal agencies fill critical positions.
17 New BEST Members Sworn In
As part of the center’s launch, Mayor Mamdani swore in 17 new members of the NYC Business Express Service Team, or BEST. The SBS unit helps entrepreneurs navigate permits, licenses and inspections required to start and operate businesses in New York City.
The 17 employees were hired through the center’s first hiring hall, held in August as part of its soft launch. The hiring initiative is also part of the administration’s effort to expand the BEST team and accelerate recruitment for public-service positions.
Building on Jobs NYC
The new center is an expansion of the SBS Jobs NYC initiative, which was launched in 2024. According to the city, the program has since helped 47 city agencies and public institutions, including the Department of Education, NYC Health + Hospitals and the City University of New York, recruit employees.
The new Manhattan location gives the program a permanent physical presence where job seekers can receive in-person assistance.
Services at the center include help identifying open city positions, preparing and submitting applications, understanding civil service examinations and connecting directly with hiring agencies. The center will also host agency interviews and hiring events.
City employment opportunities are already being posted for positions based at 2 Lafayette Street, including roles in technology, finance, procurement and constituent services.
The center’s opening comes during National Workforce Development Month. With regular walk-in services beginning October 5, the facility is expected to serve as a direct point of entry for New Yorkers seeking information about city employment and civil service careers.
The longer-term question will be how effectively the new center helps connect job seekers with available positions while helping city agencies address their workforce needs.
