The DOL offers a wide variety of programs and services to help businesses across industries. All of our services are available at no cost to you. Each month, we’ll highlight what we offer and how we can help your business grow or get through tough times. 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.

Are you capitalizing on the many tax credits available to your business? The DOL can connect you with a plethora of workforce and economic development programs that can trim costs and fulfill your hiring needs. For instance:

• The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) offers employers up to $2,400 in federal tax savings for hiring individuals with barriers to employment.
• The Workers (with Disabilities) Employment Tax Credit (WETC) offers $2,100 in state tax credits for businesses that employ people with disabilities who currently receive vocational rehabilitation services.
• The Federal Bonding Program provides six months of no-cost fidelity bonding coverage to businesses that hire eligible job seekers.

These are just a few of the incentives available that might be a good fit for your business. Visit our website for a complete list of tax credits and funding opportunities.

No matter what obstacle your business is facing, the DOL almost certainly has a no-cost solution to help you meet your goals. With so many programs available, identifying which solution is right for your business can be tricky. Thankfully, NYS DOL’s Regional Business Services Representatives are here to help.

Each month we’ll feature a representative from a different region around the state. This month we meet Michael Cohen, who has served as an Occupational Analyst in the Long Island Business Services Regional Office since 2013. Michael began his career at DOL in 2010 as an Apprentice Training Representative.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy supporting businesses with their recruiting efforts and providing human resource consultation for the Long Island community. The DOL truly has no slow season, which makes the days goes by quickly. It’s gratifying to help individuals find careers and watch businesses grow. Businesses, especially new ones, are amazed to learn about all the no cost services we offer.

What are the key services you connect businesses with?

One of the many hats I wear is providing human resource assistance. This involves reviewing and updating employee handbooks, creating on-boarding plans, providing technical assistance on the latest Employment Law and Regulations, and conducting skill gap analysis for on-the-job-training. As part of the Business Engagement Team, I also help connect businesses with job seekers.

What are some of your favorite businesses to assist and/or visit in Central New York?

I have developed great relationships with so many businesses. It’s what makes working here so fulfilling. I’ve had the pleasure of assisting Green Team LI with onboarding for their NYSERDA on-the-job-training, which promotes jobs in energy efficiency and clean technology. I helped Roli Retreads, Inc. take advantage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which is a tax incentive for hiring people with barriers to employment. The last one that stands out is my work with Atlantic Nurseries, who I helped create their employee handbook and get up to speed on the latest labor laws.

What do you like to do when you’re not busy helping local businesses?

When I’m not helping local businesses, I’m spending time with my family and friends. Recently, my wife and I took our daughter to see a LI Ducks game. Seeing her experience a game in-person for the first time was priceless. I’m hoping to see the New York Mets go deep in the playoffs this year. It’s been too long without a World Series championship. Those who know me know I am also a big fan of “Big Blue” – the New York Giants. I can’t wait for football season to start.

To see if your business could benefit from one of our programs, contact your Regional Business Services Representative today.

Starting in July, businesses across the state will begin receiving Interest Assessment Surcharge (IAS) bills. IAS bill payments go toward paying down the interest on the state’s federal loan used to pay benefits to unemployed workers during the pandemic. The NYS DOL is required by law to collect this payment annually from employers who make unemployment insurance contributions until the state’s debt is paid.

The IAS rate is based on amount of federal interest due on September 30. More information and FAQs are available on ourIAS webpage.

An estimated 4.1 million people - one in six employees - are unpaid caregivers in New York State. They often perform tasks that can impact their work, their mental health, and the productivity of your business. This might require coming in late, leaving early, making phone calls or arranging medical appointments at work, going from full-time to part time, or quitting their job altogether.

Businesses like yours are in a unique position to help. In fact, employers are a proven trusted source of information and support for their employees when it comes to issues like work-life balance.

To help you support your employees who provide unpaid care, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and the DOL are providing a helpful resource guideon caregivers in the workplace for businesses.

We’re also asking businesses and their employees to complete a quick survey to help us quantify the impacts on employees providing unpaid care. A document with a sample message to your employees on why they should complete the survey is available to download.

For questions or more information on this important initiative, contact NYSOFA at NYSOFA@aging.ny.gov.

The way we text our customers is about to change. Beginning July 1, the phone number (or short code) connected to text messages from the Department of Labor will be changing. This means instead of texts coming from 468311, they’ll come from 697365 (or NYSDOL). If you have employees who receive texts from us, they should save our new short code “697365” into their phones as “NYS DOL” so they’ll know it’s us when we send text messages.

And as always, all New Yorkers should remain vigilant about protecting themselves from fraud. Texts from NYS DOL will never come from a 10-digit number and DOL representatives will never reach out directly through a text message or social media.

Get more tips about communication from NYS DOL on our Report Fraud webpage.