Julie Su, New York City’s first deputy mayor for economic justice, said Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is making it a priority to spread the city’s job growth across more industries, in comments reported Wednesday that acknowledged recent gains had been too concentrated. Su, who took the newly created post on March 1, called the task “an all-hands-on-deck moment.”

The data behind the concern is concrete. New York City added just 27,100 jobs in 2025, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the New York State Department of Labor, with losses across manufacturing, trade and transportation, retail, information, finance, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and government. The lone major source of gains was health care and social assistance, led by roughly 70,000 home health-care positions that rank among the lowest-paying jobs in the city.

The weakness carried into 2026. The office of New York City Comptroller Mark Levine reported that in the first three months of the year, the only sector with significant gains was health care and social assistance, up about 14,000 jobs, while transportation and warehousing, leisure and hospitality, and trade lost jobs. Over the prior 12 months, private-sector employment outside the health sector fell by about 13,000 jobs.

Unemployment has climbed as well. The Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit research group, reported that private-sector job creation in 2025 fell 71% from 2024, and that the city’s unemployment rate stood at 5.6%, including 9.6% for Black New Yorkers as of December. The group described the rise as the largest increase since May 2020.

Mamdani, who took office on January 1, has moved fastest on the affordability agenda he campaigned on. He secured state funding for free childcare for 2-year-olds, named board members positioned to freeze rents on rent-regulated apartments, redesigned bus routes, and announced plans to open five city-run grocery stores. Those measures target the cost of living rather than job creation.

The administration has not yet named a permanent leader for the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the roughly 500-person public authority that prior mayors used to attract private investment. The agency manages a large real-estate portfolio, runs the city’s ferry system, and helped drive projects including Hudson Yards, the new Yankee Stadium, and the High Line.

Su said the administration views making the city more affordable and livable as a way to keep workers and draw employers, and that robust, widely shared growth is central to its economic-justice goals. Aides said Mamdani recognizes he will need to work with the business community to address the city’s challenges.

Business leaders have raised concerns about Mamdani’s broader platform, which includes higher taxes on corporations and high earners to fund his programs. Critics warn the measures could push companies and wealthy residents out of the city, shrinking the tax base. Supporters argue affordability measures keep workers in place and money circulating in local neighborhoods.

The hospitality sector is a particular focus. The industry has lost roughly 4% of its workforce since 2020, and city officials said they are counting on two summer events—the World Cup and celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary—to boost visitor spending.

The fiscal stakes are direct because the programs Mamdani has expanded depend on a growing tax base. State and city data and independent research all describe a labor market shedding jobs across most sectors while adding them mainly in lower-paying health-care roles. Administration officials said they intend to broaden growth but have not yet detailed a comprehensive jobs plan or filled the city’s top economic-development post.

JBizNews Desk — New York

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