On January 14, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her State of the State address, highlighting proposals for more than 200 initiatives targeted for the coming year. With an emphasis on protecting workers, streamlining government services for employers, and building new skilled-labor pipelines to bolster New York's workforce, these proposals reflect a renewed commitment to building an economy that works for everyone. Below are just some of the proposals you may see in the coming year.
 Support Small Businesses with Low Interest Capital
The Linked Deposit Program has successfully helped nearly 6000 small businesses borrow money at more affordable rates. In response to high demand, Governor Hochul will launch the Low Interest Capital program (LINC), an expansion of the Linked Deposit Program, to support hundreds of additional businesses.
Align Child Labor Law Penalties with Severity of Violation
Stronger child labor law protections will be proposed to align with severity of violations while ensuring lesser violations do not create significant financial hardship for employers. Under this proposal, maximum civil penalties, including felony-level charges, will be applied for violations that result in serious injury to children. When violations do not risk a child’s safety and health, the DOL may be directed by the governor to offer businesses reduced penalties if they participate in a child labor prevention program. |
Digital Working Papers for Youth Workers
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. This new system will connect employers directly with the state to verify working papers while reducing mistakes and delays. New Wage Theft Protections
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 healthcare. 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. If you are interested in starting a registered apprenticeship program in your business, fill out this form to speak with an Apprenticeship team member and begin the process. To learn more about registered apprenticeships, visit our Apprenticeships webpage. |
To improve your filing experience, reduce errors, and increase compliance with employer reporting of each employee’s information, the Tax Department is streamlining withholding tax and wage reporting forms and Web File applications. These improvements will affect the way you file in March 2025. You can find the latest on these improvements at: https://www.tax.ny.gov/bus/wt/changes-2025/. Reminder: Paid Prenatal Leave Is Now Live 
On January 1, 2025, New York’s Paid Prenatal Leave law went into effect. This first-in-the-nation law requires private employers to provide pregnant employees with 20 hours of paid prenatal leave, ensuring that pregnant employees can take time off for medical appointments related to pregnancy without the fear of losing income.
Paid Prenatal Leave is applicable to both full-time and part-time employees. Pregnancy-related health care includes physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring, testing, and discussions with a health care provider related to the pregnancy.
- This personal leave time may be taken in hourly increments, and compensation provided must be at the employee’s regular rate of pay or the applicable minimum wage, whichever is greater.
- Employers are not required to pay an employee for unused prenatal personal leave at the time of separation from employment.
With Paid Prenatal Personal Leave, businesses can help expectant workers focus on their health needs without financial worry while providing them with the peace of mind that comes with knowing they work in a place that puts their needs first. Everyone should be able to access the care they need, especially when they are expecting. Paid Prenatal Leave is another shining example of how New York State and New York State businesses are committed to supporting the health and safety of all workers. For more information about Paid Prenatal Personal Leave, please visit ny.gov/prenatal. ICYMI: New York State Minimum Wage Increased January 1 
On January 1, New York’s minimum wage will increase to $16.50/hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, and $15.50/hour for the rest of the state. Raising New York's minimum wage to keep pace with inflation will benefit hundreds of thousands of minimum wage workers across the state. “In this current era of inflation and rising costs, every cent counts for all New Yorkers, especially workers who earn the minimum wage. By gradually increasing wages for the lowest earners, we are ensuring businesses can adjust to the change while also helping more families make ends meet,” said NYSDOL Commissioner Roberta Reardon. This increase is the continuation of the historic multi-year plan to increase the minimum wage to 2027 and beyond. Looking ahead, the minimum wage will increase by $0.50 in 2026. In 2027, it will increase annually at a rate determined by the Consumer Price Index. If you have any questions about how New York State’s minimum wage laws impact your business, please reach out to the NYSDOL at 1-888-4-NYSDOL (1-888-469-7365). To help inform businesses and employees about Minimum Wage, the DOL also has several resources available on our website, including the Minimum Wage Lookup tool. We’ve Got You Covered: DOL’s Free On-Site Consultation Program  The DOL offers a wide variety of programs and services to help businesses across all industries. All of our services are available at no cost to you. If something catches your eye, reach out to us and we can create customized solutions to help you meet your goals, no matter what you’re facing.
Businesses across the state are capitalizing on our free on-site consultation program, providing confidential feedback on numerous safety and health issues, and they are completely independent from state and federal safety enforcement. You can reduce workplace accidents by identifying hazards, lessen Workers’ Compensation costs by lowering the number of claims, and ensure you’re in compliance with OSHA regulations. Learn more about the program and contact your local consultant today to schedule a visit!
|
|
.png?sfvrsn=4447de7f_1)
