CHALLENGES & Our Solutions
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing racial and ethnic groups. However, 47.9% of working-age Asian New Yorkers had limited English proficiency (LEP), with both Chinese (63.4%) and Korean (46.8%) at an even higher percentage.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
In 2023, the overall U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.7%. However, Asian Americans faced a rise to 3.5%, notably in long-term unemployment, increasing by 25%—outpacing Hispanic (16%) and White (15%) counterparts.
Working poor Reality
In NYC, 64.7% of the Asian American population participates in the labor force, above the 63.2% citywide rate. Despite this, Asian Americans often face challenges in long-term unemployment and struggle to secure reemployment, often at lower wages.
BARRIERS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
The self-employment rate among the civilian-employed Asian American population in NYC is 10.8%, compared to 9.8% for the total population. But they are also suffering from the following major barriers to immigrant entrepreneurs' success: Language & literacy Barriers; Trouble Bridging the Technological Divide; Limited Financial Literacy & Access to Capital.
Languange Proficency Improvement
We provide English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction to low-income new immigrants. As a CMP cornerstone program—started since CMP’s inception in 1972, our English classes have helped thousands of immigrants improve their English and prepared them for employment and life in America.
EMPLOYABILITY ENHANCEMENT
Through providing work readiness workshops, job skills training programs, and direct job placement assistance, we help people who are seeking employment opportunities enhance their workforce skills and increase their employability.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Our Train & Earn Program (T&E), Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Work Learn and Grow Program (WLG) and Opportunity Youth (NDA) engage young adults, including disconnected ones, help them achieve higher levels of education and prepare them for better career opportunities.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ASSISTANCE
In helping to rebuild the community's economic engine, CMP provides small business clients with one-on-one consulting services, hosts entrepreneurial workshops and seminars, and refers clients to partnering resource organizations for government assistance, legal consultation, financial literacy, and micro-lending.