THE DAILY SURVIVAL BRIEF • SEPTEMBER 24, 2026

NYC Will Pay You $30 an Hour to Fight Snow With a Shovel

Winter is approaching, which means New York City is hiring people to move frozen water from one inconvenient location to another.

The Department of Sanitation is recruiting temporary emergency snow shovelers. The job pays $30 per hour, increasing to $45 per hour after 40 hours worked in one week. Workers are called after heavy snowfall to clear bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants, step streets, and other public areas.

The first upcoming registration event is Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, 260 Pleasant Avenue. Additional events are scheduled for October 3 in Brooklyn, October 10 in Queens, and October 17 on Staten Island.

Applicants must be at least 18, authorized to work in the United States, and capable of heavy outdoor labor in winter weather. This is temporary, weather-dependent work—not a guaranteed weekly schedule. Apparently, even your supervisor must wait for the clouds to make a decision.

Register before November 30 to qualify for a paid four-hour December orientation and faster paycheck processing. Bring the required completed tax and employment forms, your original unexpired work documents, and your Social Security card.

Source: NYC Department of Sanitation—Emergency Snow Shovelers , checked September 24, 2026.