A city-run New York program served 1,268 job seekers with disabilities across city fiscal years 2024 and 2025, placing 99 in jobs. The reach is meaningful for those who got through the door, but it represents only about 4% of an estimated 35,000 New Yorkers with disabilities seeking work.
The figures were highlighted Wednesday by the Comptroller's Office. Comptroller Mark Levine said every New Yorker deserves the opportunity to find meaningful work, including people with disabilities who need support to succeed in the workforce.
NYC: ATWORK Offers Support, But Not A Universal Front Door
NYC: ATWORK, run by the city's Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, recruits and pre-screens candidates before connecting them with public- and private-sector employers. The program offers resume guidance, mock interviews, job-readiness workshops, employer networking, access to a job board and support for up to one year after a placement, according to the city's MOPD.
The program is also self-guided, which means applicants are expected to search proactively and arrive with career goals, resumes and basic interviewing skills. Eligible candidates go through a screening process and may be placed on a waitlist before orientation and enrollment, as outlined by Jobs NYC.
New York's Disability Employment Gap Remains Stark
The program's limited reach lands against a much larger citywide employment problem. A 2024 Comptroller report found that just 41% of working-age New Yorkers with disabilities were employed in 2022, compared with 81% of New Yorkers who reported no disability.
The same report found that workers with disabilities were more likely to work part time and earned less in median wages than workers without disabilities. Among full-time workers ages 25 to 55, the median wage and salary income was $55,000 for New Yorkers with disabilities, compared with $62,000 for those without disabilities.
The numbers also need a little unpacking: The 1,268 people served are the figure that rounds to about 4% of the estimated 35,000 potential job seekers, while the 99 placements are a separate outcome. The Comptroller's review calls for more funding, better tracking and fewer barriers so the city can determine who is being reached and where the program is falling short.
City Officials Cite Staffing Limits And Bigger Goals
In testimony before the New York City Council this month, MOPD said it was on track to connect 2,500 New Yorkers with disabilities to employment opportunities by July 2026. The office also said its six-person NYC: ATWORK team is balancing direct services, outreach, employer engagement and technical assistance, while administrative delays in the city's 55-a hiring process can discourage both applicants and hiring managers, according to the City Council record.
That 2,500 figure uses a broader measure of employment opportunities and should not be treated as a direct replacement for the 99-job placement total. The larger point is less technical: NYC: ATWORK has shown that targeted help can lead to jobs, but the city still has a long way to go before that help is available at anything close to the scale of the need.
