August 29, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Unemployment among youth, Summer 2008

In July 2008, 3.4 million youth aged 16 to 24 years old were unemployed—not working, but actively looking for work and available to take a job. The youth unemployment rate was 14.0 percent, which was the highest rate for July since 1992.

Unemployment rate of 16- to 24-year-olds, July 2005-2008 (not seasonally adjusted)
[Chart data—TXT]

The increase in youth unemployment in the summer of 2008 partly reflected a weaker job market. The July 2008 unemployment rates for young men (15.0 percent), women (12.8 percent), whites (12.3 percent), blacks (24.8 percent), and Hispanics (16.0 percent) increased from a year earlier. The jobless rate for Asians (8.4 percent) was about unchanged from July 2007.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey. The data are not seasonally adjusted. Find out more in "Employment and Unemployment Among Youth—Summer 2008," (PDF) (HTML) news release USDL 08-1212.