The City’s Workforce Development Initiative supports, cultivates, and maintains relationships with local businesses and community-based organizations who are interested in hiring city residents. 

The initiative aims to understand local economic development activities and local labor market data to align workforce development programs to any emerging fields through job fairs, life skills trainings, workforce connections summits, and future programming to support the needs of the Rochester community. 

It also manages the workforce development grants given to outside workforce development programs growing, in-demand fields and industries. 

• Understanding new and current economic activities in the city
• Developing relationships with local businesses
• Providing city residents with connections to exciting career fields in Rochester
• Connecting city residents with community resources, industry-driven education, training, employment, and more.

The City of Rochester’s Workforce Development Gap Analysis (February 2025) examines local labor trends, identifies key barriers — like transportation, childcare, and credentialing — and outlines how the City can best serve as a connector, convenor, supporter, and representer to strengthen programs, align funding, and remove workforce development obstacles for residents. 

Read the report

The Department of Human Resource Management is a group of human resource professionals who support the City of Rochester's vision, values, and principles by:  recruiting, selecting, developing and retaining employees; creating a diverse, talented and dynamic workforce; providing collaborative human resource solutions; encouraging and recognizing workforce excellence; providing an environment where expectations are clear, documented and communicated.

The Department comprises seven organizational units: Administration, Exam Administration/Civil Service, Labor Relations, Staffing Services, Benefits, Training & Safety and Payroll. We develop, implement and maintain human resource policies for all City employees.