Water works: New study reveals growth in NYC Blue Highways workforce

A new study announced on Tuesday revealed significant growth in the “Blue Highways” workforce. This transportation sector relies on waterways, instead of roads, to move freight in an effort to reduce truck traffic congestion.

The NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) published its first-ever study of the Blue Highways workforce to better understand the labor impacts of the city’s investments in this freight-moving vision. Dubbed NYC’s Working Waterfront: A Blueprint for Blue Highways, the report found that employment in this sector could grow by 72% in the next decade.

Delving deeper into the details, the growth could create 8,000 net new jobs in the Big Apple by 2035 for a total of 117,000 jobs across maritime, transportation, and logistics sectors, according to NYCEDC and collaborators on the report, Accenture, Karp Strategies, and Sam Schwartz Engineering/TYLin.

The study’s findings will help NYCEDC with its future investments in workforce development, agency officials said.

The study and investments coincide with several city Harbor of the Future projects, including the ongoing transformation of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern maritime port.

“The Brooklyn Marine Terminal is a generational opportunity to build housing, a modern maritime facility, acres of open space and meaningfully advance the city’s Blue Highways strategy,” said Adolfo Carrión, Jr., deputy mayor for housing, economic development and workforce said. “As today’s report shows, the Adams administration’s strategy will create 117,000 good-paying jobs by 2035 and advance a model that gets trucks off our streets as part of a more sustainable model for moving freight across our city.”

The report shows various priority jobs that will be available as Blue Highways efforts increase. These include jobs in the maritime, transportation and logistics, and support industries.

“New York City’s Blue Highways are more than a transportation strategy – they’re a blueprint for inclusive economic growth,” said Andrew Kimball, NYCEDC president and CEO. “This workforce assessment underscores our commitment to creating accessible, high-quality jobs for New Yorkers while building a more sustainable and resilient freight network. By investing in people as much as infrastructure, we’re ensuring that the Harbor of the Future delivers opportunity across every borough.”

However, challenges such as the need for ongoing training in the future system and its technologies remain.

The study’s authors emphasize a strategy to get NYC’s workforce ready for Blue Highways employment. Recommendations include developing a fund to scale existing training programs, establishing a Blue highways reservist crops, expanding existing curricula to include maritime applications and building a Blue Highways experiential learning center and career pathways website.