Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-1021
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, August 27, 2009
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 2009
From April to July 2009, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old
increased by 1.6 million to 19.3 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This year, however, the pro-
portion of young people who were employed in July was 51.4 percent, the
lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948. (July is
the traditional summertime peak for youth employment.) Unemployment among
youth increased by 1.1 million between April and July 2009, about the same
as in the summer of 2008. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal
changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and
summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.)
Labor Force
The youth labor force--16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking
for work--grows sharply between April and July each year. During these
months, large numbers of high school and college students take or search
for summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or
begin permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by
2.6 million to a total of 23.7 million in July. (See table 1.)
The labor force participation rate for youth--the proportion of their
population working or looking for work--was 63.0 percent in July 2009,
down by 2.1 percentage points from July 2008 and 14.5 percentage points
below its peak for that month in 1989 (77.5 percent). The youth partici-
pation rate was the lowest July rate since 1955 (62.8 percent).
The July 2009 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old
men, at 64.9 percent, was down by 3.2 percentage points from a year
earlier, and the rate for women, at 61.1 percent, was little changed over
the year. For several decades prior to 1989, young men's July labor
force participation rate showed no clear trend, ranging from 81 to 86
percent. Since July 1989, however, their participation rate has trended
down by about 18 percentage points. Young women's July labor force par-
ticipation rate peaked in 1989 after a long-term upward trend; their
rate has trended down by about 11 percentage points since then.
The July 2009 participation rates for whites fell by 2.1 percentage
points to 66.0 percent. The rates for blacks at 52.9 percent and Hispanics
at 59.4 percent were little changed from a year earlier. For all three
groups, labor force participation rates were significantly lower than
their peak levels reached in July 1989. The participation rate for Asian
youth in July 2009, at 49.3 percent, was little different from July 2008.
(See table 2.)
Employment
In July 2009, 19.3 million 16- to 24-year-olds were employed. This
summer's increase in youth employment was lower than last year's (1.6
million vs. 1.9 million). The employment-population ratio for youth--
the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional pop-
ulation that was employed--was 51.4 percent in July, down 4.6 percent-
age points from July 2008. The ratio has fallen by nearly 18 percent-
age points since its peak in July 1989. The steep decline from July
2008 to July 2009 reflects, in part, continued weak labor market condi-
tions due to the recession that began in December 2007. (See table 2.)
- 2 -
The employment-population ratio for young men was 52.2 percent in
July 2009, down from 57.9 percent in July 2008. The employment-pop-
ulation ratios for women (50.5 percent), whites (55.2 percent), blacks
(36.4 percent), Asians (41.3 percent), and Hispanics (46.5 percent) in
July 2009 also were lower than a year earlier.
In July 2009, 25 percent of employed youth worked in the leisure
and hospitality industry (which includes food services). Another 20
percent worked in the retail trade industry. (See table 3.)
Unemployment
In July 2009, 4.4 million youth were unemployed, up by nearly 1.0
million from July 2008. The youth unemployment rate was 18.5 percent
in July 2009, the highest July rate on record for the series, which
began in 1948. As with the decline in employment, the increase in
youth unemployment in the summer of 2009 reflected a weak job market.
The July 2009 unemployment rates for young men (19.7 percent), women
(17.3 percent), whites (16.4 percent), blacks (31.2 percent), Asians
(16.3 percent), and Hispanics (21.7 percent) increased from a year
earlier. (See table 2.)
