Latest news with #DiNapoli
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
New York state's headed deep into the red — but Albany will ‘rely' on denial
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli just sounded a blaring alarm about the state's cash shortfall — but the rest of the state's leadership wants the fiscal crisis kept quiet. They all knew trouble was coming, but the Legislature left Albany for the year having given Gov. Kathy Hochul the power to cut as needed. That keeps the cutting out of the headlines, and (lawmakers hope) hangs any blame on the gov. She's asked state agencies to find $750 million in savings in the current-year budget. But next year, the nut jumps to $3 billion. Longer-term, per DiNapoli, the picture grows even more distressing: Albany is facing its worst cash shortfall, as a share of spending, since the Great Recession — with $34.3 billion in red ink through 2029. New York's 'softening economy' and preprogrammed 'spending growth' already guarantee a growing gap, he warns, and future 'drastic reductions in federal aid' may make the shortfall even worse than the comptroller now projects. So he urges 'policymakers' to 'put the fiscal health of the State on a more sustainable, structurally balanced path.' If only. For years, Hochul & Co. have OK'd billions in future spending, with nary a care about available cash: As DiNapoli reports, state-funded disbursements through 2029 are on course to soar 13.9% over current levels, while revenue ticks up just 4.6%. Nor will it be possible to jack up taxes to plug the hole, not without fueling a mad rush by high-earners and job-creators out of state: Hochul (and Gov. Andrew Cuomo before her) already goosed taxes to the hilt, making New York's tax burden the nation's highest. That's why the gov is on record opposing tax hikes — though that hasn't always stopped her from giving way to the Legislature's demands for 'revenue enhancements.' Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters These gaps are no real surprise: Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins all knew months ago what was in store, as billions in federal pandemic-relief funds were set to run out and the Trump team made no secret of its intent to rein in aid to states. Their response: Who cares? We'll worry about it later. Bet on the denialism to keep on dominating Albany: Hochul is running for re-election next year, with strong incentive to depend on gimmickry to paper over the state's deficit until after November — and so make the longer-term problem even worse. This warning may be the loudest DiNapoli offers for the next 16 months, as his fellow Democrats push him to collude with Hochul in denying that New York is staring at its worst budget crisis in years.
The Hill
7 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Rural New York's health care crisis deepens amid federal funding battle
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released an audit on Aug. 7 detailing health care staffing shortages in 16 rural counties across New York. The report found the state lacking in primary care doctors, pediatricians, OB-GYNs, dentists and mental health professionals. According to DiNapoli's office, they conducted the system-wide analysis following roundtable discussions in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes, where health care access represents a major concern. Per the report, which you can read at the bottom of this story, several counties do not have access to a variety of specialty medical providers. On average, the 16 rural counties examined — Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chenango, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Schuyler, Steuben, Sullivan, Washington, Wyoming, and Yates — had just four primary care physicians for every 10,000 people. That's less than half the statewide ratio of 8.1 and further still below the national average of 8.4. And that disparity gets worse in designated 'primary care health professional shortage areas,' where nearly 173,000 New Yorkers live. In those regions, it's down to just 0.12 physicians per 10,000. The 16 rural counties have just 0.5 pediatricians for every 10,000 people, less than a fifth of the state ratio of 2.8. Chenango, Schuyler, and Yates Counties have no pediatricians at all, per the audit. The ratio of obstetrician-gynecologists is 0.4 per 10,000, translating to about one for every 23,000 people. Hamilton, Herkimer, Schuyler, and Yates Counties have no OB-GYNs. For dentists, these rural counties had 3.6 per 10,000 people, below half of the state's ratio of 8.3. Ten of the 16 counties have dental primary care health professional shortage areas for those eligible for Medicaid, which includes 134,248 people. And according to the comptroller, Hamilton County has no dentists at all. The audit determined a ratio of 6.9 mental health practitioners per 10,000 people in rural New York. The ratio for the entire state, meanwhile, is 16.1. All 16 counties are mental health primary care health professional shortage areas, either for the entire population or specific groups, like the Medicaid-eligible population. That means that almost 41 percent of the population in these counties — over 305,265 New Yorkers — are considered underserved in mental health care. The audit also reported a lack of physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners, positions meant to address doctor shortages in the 1960s. These professionals now deliver as many as 25 percent of health visits in the U.S. The ratio of PAs per 10,000 people in the rural counties is 4.2, less than half of the state ratio, 9.2. NPs are also lower, at 10.5 per 10,000 compared to the state's 16.4. The comptroller audit, which built on a 2023 comptroller report about rural New York, found that many of these areas struggle with population loss, an aging population, and decreases in the labor force. Low population densities and limited public transportation mean that people have to spend to maintain personal vehicles to access health care. The report recommends creating mobile clinics and school-based health centers to increase access to care, alongside expanded transportation and telemedicine programs. It also suggests offering loan forgiveness and stipends to new healthcare professionals in rural areas and creating educational opportunities for nursing staff to advance their degrees and bolster the workforce. And it proposes that four-year SUNY schools offer satellite programs at local community colleges that blend online and in-person coursework. The federal government has a huge impact on rural hospitals. A new federal law — Public Law No. 119-21, or the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) — earmarks $50 billion from 2026 to 2030 for a Rural Hospital Transformation Program, but it's not guaranteed to offer funding to all states. According to the American Hospital Association, the law would reduce federal Medicaid spending on New York's rural hospitals by $1.125 billion over 10 years. And that law also reduces eligibility for Medicaid and the Essential Plan, which is likely to worsen the situation for rural hospitals operating on narrow profit margins. That's because they need Medicaid funding to stay open. The law also enacts new student loan limits of $50,000 annually for professional students and an aggregate limit of $200,000. This would make it harder for proposed loan forgiveness programs to attract any new doctors to rural New York. An April 2025 analysis from the Center for American Progress found that federal funding cuts to Medicaid threaten these hospitals across the country. They determined that close to a third of those in New York would be at immediate risk of closing. The numbers from another April analysis, this from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, were broadly aligned in finding that close to 200 rural hospitals in 34 Medicaid expansion states were already at immediate risk of closing because of financial instability. In New York, they found that over a third of rural hospitals were at risk of immediate closure. They also counted three having closed since 2015, and 62 percent of the state's rural hospitals reported financial losses in 2023-2024, even with Medicaid funding intact. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), rural hospitals survive best in states that increase Medicaid enrollment and eligibility. New York has six rural hospitals in the top 10 percent nationwide for their Medicaid payer mix, and five more have had negative margins for three consecutive years. In the 16 rural counties examined, 27 percent of the population was on Medicaid as of May 2025. That's close to 205,000 people. The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) have opposed the OBBB. In letters sent to New York's congressional delegation in May, both organizations warned of the bill's catastrophic impact on the state's healthcare infrastructure. HANYS stated that the bill would cost the Empire State almost $13.5 billion per year. GNYHA also argued that the bill's cuts would be unsustainable for the state and wreck its hospital system. A June analysis from the Fiscal Policy Institute found that hospitals at immediate risk for closure in New York get over 25 percent of their net patient revenue from Medicaid or other government appropriations. They also reported that 94 hospitals in the state would see their annual profits disappear altogether with just a 10 percent cut to Medicaid revenue, because the program already pays less than half of what commercial insurance pays for the same services. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, two Republican lawmakers who voted for the bill, Reps. Nicholas Langworthy and Elise Stefanik, represent districts with some of the highest numbers of at-risk hospitals. Eight are in Langworthy's, and seven in Stefanik's. In fact, five Republican members of the state's congressional delegation— including Stefanik and Langworthy —even published a letter in June on the topic. While they said they support OBBB's 'intent to prioritize federal benefits for citizens and long-term residents,' they asked to delay the implementation of two sections. They argued that states and healthcare providers avoid 'drastically disruptive consequences' for the healthcare system with a less abrupt transition. Their letter asked for sections 112101 and 112102, modifying tax credit eligibility for certain lawful immigrants, to not take effect until January 2029. The law would force 500,000 immigrant New Yorkers who live here legally onto state-only Medicaid — because New York is constitutionally required to provide coverage—with state and county taxpayers footing the bill. This could cause 'unsustainable spikes in uncompensated costs' for local health services and destabilize the state's Essential Plan, they warned. Take a look at the comptroller's report below: rural-health-shortages Download
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New York Warns of $34 Billion Budget Hole, Biggest Since 2009 Crisis
(Bloomberg) -- New York state's cumulative three-year budget gap has swelled to $34 billion, rising 25% from Governor Kathy Hochul's estimate in January as federal funding slows, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. All Hail the Humble Speed Hump Three Deaths Reported as NYC Legionnaires' Outbreak Spreads Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds Major Istanbul Projects Are Stalling as City Leaders Sit in Jail Chicago Schools' Bond Penalty Widens as $734 Million Gap Looms The projected deficit as a share of total spending would be the biggest since the financial crisis in 2009, DiNapoli said in a report Friday. The shortfall is driven by spending growth in Medicaid and education, and as New York and other states grapple with billions of dollars in cuts to safety-net programs from President Donald Trump's budget and spending bill. 'This is likely just the beginning; the relationship between the federal government and the states is being restructured, and state governments will be facing drastic reductions in federal aid that could force difficult decisions about state revenue and spending priorities,' DiNapoli said. Compounding the problem, job growth in New York is slowing, as it is in the rest of the US, DiNapoli said. From January to May, New York employment growth averaged 4,600 jobs monthly, down from 19,100 a month in the same period last year. New York lawmakers approved a $254 billion budget for fiscal 2026 in May, with spending on Medicaid rising to more than $112 billion, or 44% of the total. The state portion of Medicaid spending rose to $44 billion, while aid to schools increased 4.8% to $37 billion. Even as New York boosts spending, Hochul's budget included a more than $2 billion tax cut for the middle class aimed at easing the burden of inflation. But a weaker economy means that both personal income and business tax revenue are forecast to decline from previous fiscal years. Meanwhile, the deep spending cuts from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill could cost New York's health-care system and budget almost $13 billion per year, Hochul said last month. 'Besides increasing the number of New Yorkers who are uninsured or suffering from food insecurity, the state will also contend with changes made to terminate funding for climate, clean energy and resiliency programs,' DiNapoli said. The new budget deficit estimate could amplify calls from some Democratic lawmakers for new tax increases. That's a priority of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who polls show is currently favored to win November's general election. Mamdani, a member of the state Assembly and a democratic socialist, has said he'll push for an increase in the state's corporate tax rate and a new tax on millionaires to pay for an ambitious policy agenda, including free bus service and a new free universal childcare program for residents age 6 weeks to 5 years. Hochul has said she won't approve any tax hikes in the coming year. The Pizza Oven Startup With a Plan to Own Every Piece of the Pie Digital Nomads Are Transforming Medellín's Housing Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO It's Only a Matter of Time Until Americans Pay for Trump's Tariffs The Game Starts at 8. The Robbery Starts at 8:01 ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Politico
22-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
A perfect budget storm
Presented by Resorts World New York City With help from Amira McKee Wall Street could be the state budget's savior next year — or a major headache. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-led state Legislature are already contending with a $3 billion hit to the Essential Plan taking effect next fiscal year, which provides health coverage to about 1.6 million low-income New Yorkers. The cut is being heaped on top of a pre-existing $7.5 billion budget gap. And if the financial industry — the engine that fuels New York's economy and tax revenue — goes south, the consequences for Albany could be massive. 'If we get hit not just with the federal restructuring, but with an economy that starts to slow down or tank — that's where we could get that perfect storm,' Comptroller Tom DiNapoli told Playbook in an interview on Monday. That kind of financial turbulence would come at a bad time for the governor, who's running for a second full term next year. She stands to be hit with political crosscurrents from lefty Democrats who'll push for tax hikes and from wealthy New Yorkers who contribute an outsize share of taxes to the state's coffers. State officials are still assessing the fallout from President Donald Trump's megabill, a sweeping federal tax-and-spend package that includes significant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Hochul told reporters Monday she plans to roll out a 'swat team' to find ways of saving money as the state also works to address the $750 million being slashed from the Essential Plan — cuts which will take effect Jan. 1. She also defended her $2 billion rebate program, which was approved in the May state budget and will send New Yorkers cash this fall. Hochul insisted the money, which was pared down from the original $3 billion proposal, will help people make ends meet. 'Now more than ever families across New York will appreciate what I did for them and putting money back in their pockets,' the governor said. DiNapoli, a Hochul ally, was not as enthusiastic about the check plan, which Hochul has framed as a way to bust inflation. 'I wouldn't say it was a mistake, but that creates spending that has to be balanced against these other cuts,' he said. 'Rebates are going to happen, hopefully that will help people.' DiNapoli expects finding ways to offset the loss of $750 million in the current fiscal year will be relatively easy. The harder part comes next year when lawmakers and Hochul negotiate the state budget. 'My guess is everything will have to be on the table — cuts, tax increases,' DiNapoli said. New York Democrats have already trained their ire on Republicans over the federal cuts, pre-emptively blaming them even before the mega-bill became a mega-law. There are limits, though, to the blame game. Hochul will still need to get a balanced budget on the books months before voters render their verdict on her tenure. 'It could be a tough budget,' DiNapoli said. 'It's an election year and there are more pressures in an election year.' — Nick Reisman IT'S TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE'S KATHY? In New York City with no public schedule. WHERE'S ERIC? No public schedule available as of 10 p.m. Monday. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'You know, the Dos Equis commercials, the most interesting man in the world? That is him. This guy is having this moment, and he's capitalizing on it.' — Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz on FIFA President Gianni Infantino, in POLITICO's look at how the sports executive learned to navigate American politics ahead of next year's World Cup. BONUS QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'Columbus is worse than pineapple on pizza.' — One of the signs at the Italian-Americans for Zohran Mamdani counter protest Monday, opposite a rally organized by The Italian-American Civil Rights League after discovering Mamdani had posted a photo flipping off a statue of Christopher Columbus. ABOVE THE FOLD WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: A member of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' campaign team attended the same Las Vegas Bitcoin conference where the mayor spoke on the taxpayer's dime — the latest twist in a trip that has alarmed ethics experts several times over. In May, Adams traveled to Sin City to deliver two speeches at the crypto gathering in his official capacity as mayor. During an on-camera interview Adams gave at the summit, his campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, briefly pops into the frame just feet away. Adams has already taken heat for hosting a fundraiser during his Las Vegas trip, as the Daily News and New York Post have reported. Government reform groups were also concerned about a POLITICO report that found a pro-Adams super PAC executive attended the event and discussed soliciting cash from the crypto community. City statutes prevent the mayor from using official resources for campaigns, and election laws prohibit coordination between super PACs and candidates. Shapiro said he was briefly at the Las Vegas confab at the behest of billionaire crypto investor Brock Pierce and that he did not perform any campaign-related activities — not even coordinating fundraising — while in town. 'I want to clarify that I was not attending any Bitcoin conference on behalf of the campaign, nor was I aware of any formal event taking place,' Shapiro said. 'I was simply a guest of my former client, Brock Pierce, and have a personal interest in blockchain technology.' Pierce sung the praises of Adams while at the conference. 'He's not about to be the crypto-mayor. He is the crypto mayor of the United States of America,' he said in an on-camera interview at the event. 'And it is mission critical to me — I believe New York City, the state and the nation, and therefore the world — that it stays that way and he stays the mayor of New York City.' City Hall referred POLITICO to its statements from last week noting that the fundraiser was a small portion of the trip. 'The overwhelming majority of the trip was dedicated to discussing crypto policy for the city,' spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said at the time. — Joe Anuta CITY HALL: THE LATEST MEMBER DEFERENCE IN DANGER: A majority of City Council members — from socialists to Republicans — oppose the Charter Revision Commission's approved ballot measures, saying they'll reduce elected officials' and organized labor's input on building housing. 'Mayor Adams' Charter Revision Commission is giving away the store to luxury housing developers while cutting our communities out of the process,' reads a statement organized by City Council Member Sandy Nurse and signed by 31 of her colleagues. The commission voted Monday to place four questions on the November ballot that are meant to make it easier for the city to build apartments. A fifth question would start the process of holding city elections in the same years as presidential races. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and her leadership team blasted the 'misguided proposals' in a separate statement, saying they'd 'undermine the ability to deliver more affordable housing, homeownership opportunities, good-paying union jobs, and neighborhood investments.' The council has a tense relationship with the mayor. The speaker and other members staunchly opposed ballot proposals from Eric Adams' charter revision commission last year too, but voters approved four out of the five. — Jeff Coltin SCHOOL BUS WOES: Two prominent citywide Democratic electeds are demanding short-term extensions on school bus contracts and are pointing to persistent, adverse impacts on the 145,000 students who depend on taking buses. The Panel for Educational Policy, the Department of Education's governing body, is expected to vote Wednesday to approve a 30-day emergency extension of the contracts. In a Monday letter to Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams urged him to limit any contract extensions to between one and three years after learning the administration is exploring a five-year timeframe. Shorter term extensions would give state lawmakers in Albany time to enact legislation ensuring bus driver protections are included in new contracts, the pair said. The DOE could then rebid the contracts with improvements. 'The bus companies may be content collecting taxpayer dollars while delivering unacceptable service, but our students and families deserve far better — and they should not have to wait until 2030 for relief from a system that's failing them now,' Lander and Williams wrote. State lawmakers didn't pass legislation this year that would protect bus drivers' wages and benefits. The contracts expired at the end of June. Jenna Lyle, a DOE spokesperson, only said longer extensions are under negotiation when asked to confirm whether the city is eyeing a five-year extension. 'New York City Public Schools has been clear: our outdated busing contracts must be rebid to allow for flexibility and accountability and to ensure the best possible transportation system is available to our students,' Lyle said in a statement. — Madina Touré THE DISTASTE IS MUTUAL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed some of Mamdani's campaign proposals as 'nonsense' and suggested he'd lose reelection if he wins. (CNN) More from the city: — The New York Young Republican Club argues Mamdani should be disqualified from the election for providing 'aid and comfort' to enemies of the US. (New York Post) — Former Trump adviser Jason Meister formed an anti-Mamdani super PAC called Defend NYC. (City & State) — A brand new $241 million jail unit in Bellevue Hospital is empty due to staffing issues. (THE CITY) NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY PLAY ON: A key legislative Democrat is pushing back against Trump's reported plan to limit college athletes' compensation. Trump's plan, tentatively called 'Saving College Sports,' would set rules for how athletes can be paid for their name, image and likeness. The draft reportedly would classify college athletes as students and not employees — potentially limiting how much they could receive in promotional compensation. Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, the chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, blasted the idea. 'This only further limits the legal rights of these young individuals by making them more vulnerable in these workplaces,' Solages said. 'This order has been delivered to the American people under the guise of protecting our young and vulnerable population, but will certainly prove detrimental to the future of the athletes that these sport institutions depend on.' There have been efforts at the state level in recent years to set regulations for college athletes and their compensation. Hochul in 2022 signed into law a measure that bolstered compensation rules in college sports and allows athletes to retain representation to help negotiate deals. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha wants to build a progressive movement in the Hudson Valley. (City & State) — Like her predecessors, Hochul wishes she had more control over the State Education Department. (Capitol Confidential) — The state pension fund is bulking up its private equity investments. (Chief Investment Officer) KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION 'GOOGLE IS FREE': Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her pro-Palestinian record after her Bronx campaign office was vandalized with red paint accusing her of funding genocide in Gaza. 'Google is free. If you're saying I voted for military funding, you are lying. Receipts attached,' AOC posted on X Monday afternoon. 'My record on Palestine speaks for itself. I'm proud of it. One of the strongest in Congress. I throw down for pro-Palestine candidates. Largely unrecognized work. That's fine,' she said in another post on Bluesky. Ocasio-Cortez voted against far right Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene's amendment to cut defense aid to Israel, a vote that failed 422-6. The amendment 'does nothing to cut off offensive aid to Israel nor end the flow of US munitions being used in Gaza. Of course I voted against it,' Ocasio-Cortez posted on X about the Friday night vote. 'What it does do is cut off defensive Iron Dome capacities while allowing the actual bombs killing Palestinians to continue.' — Jeff Coltin More from Congress: — Trump's megabill would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance over the next decade, per a Congressional Budget Office forecast. (POLITICO) — Rep. Elise Stefanik's ethics complaint against a D.C. judge was tossed by an appeals court. (Bloomberg) — Jeffries reiterated he hadn't endorsed Mamdani for mayor and said they'd meet again when he gets back from Uganda (Fox News) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Buffalo community groups want New York to strike a better deal with Tesla. (Buffalo News) — New York is among the states suing the Trump administration over barring undocumented immigrants from accessing federally funded services. (Gothamist) — A job ad for a Nassau County district attorney candidate encourages people with criminal records to apply. (New York Post) SOCIAL DATA MAKING MOVES: Brendan Griffith was elected president of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL‑CIO on Thursday. He was previously chief of staff, and was serving as interim president after Vincent Alvarez stepped down. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) … state Sen. Dean Murray … Patrick Jenkins … Red Horse's Doug Forand … Ariana Collado of the Bronx Dems … BerlinRosen's Louis Gonzales … Michael Jon Fieni of the Brooklyn Public Library … Annie Lowrey … CNN's Terence Burlij … Sam Brodey … Warren Bass … Peter Prengaman … Natacha Hildebrand … Maor Cohen … Don Van Natta Jr. … (WAS MONDAY): Shonni Silverberg ... Jane Ginsburg ... Jon Lovitz ... Eric Simonoff Missed Monday's New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
New York lost many construction jobs during the pandemic — and still hasn't recovered: report
New York State hasn't recovered all of the construction lobs it lost during the pandemic shutdown – partly because of less demand for office space, a new report released Thursday said. There is 16,300 fewer construction jobs in the Empire State, 4% lower than before the COVID-19 shutdown — the second lowest recovery among all states, according to the the study by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office. 'Spending on residential construction has rebounded since the pandemic, but nonresidential construction spending, especially in New York City, remains below 2019 levels and could continue to lag in the near future,' DiNapoli said. Advertisement 3 New York has failed to recover all the construction jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, in large part because of less demand for office space amid hybrid work policies, according to an industry report released Thursday. Christopher Sadowski The sector would have fully recovered if not for New York City, where hard hat employment last year was still down 11.3%, or 18,200 jobs compared 2019. Meanwhile, the number of construction firms declined by 3% in 2024, the first drop since 2011, the report said. Advertisement Nonresidential construction plummeted 43% during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, according to the New York Building Congress, a construction trade group. Demand still remains below 2019 pre-pandemic levels. 3 The study was conducted by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office, where the Big Apple has 16,300 fewer construction jobs available. State Deputy Comptroller Office NYC 3 The report also mentions that New York is one of the five states that have failed to recover from job losses in the construction sector resulting from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. REUTERS Advertisement 'Non residential construction has improved but continues to be impacted by remote work policies,' the comptroller's report said. New York is one of five states that have not recovered from pandemic job losses in the construction sector, report said. Aside from remote work softening the office construction market, DiNapoli's report said President Trump's immigration enforcement could impact the hard hat labor force and ongoing projects. Immigrants held 61% of the jobs in the construction sector in the city in 2023, a much higher share than in the rest of the state and the nation.
