December 27, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Employee and freelance jobs among youths

Over four-fifths of 17-year-olds work in some capacity. Most of these jobs are employee jobs, in which there is a formal relationship with a particular employer, such as a restaurant or supermarket.

[Chart data—TXT]

About 65 percent of 17-year-olds have an employee job only. Another 12 percent have both an employee job and a "freelance" job. Those with freelance jobs perform tasks such as babysitting or yard work, but have no formal job arrangement. Only 5 percent had a freelance job only.

These data are from the National Longitudinal Survey. The survey respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997, and the oldest were age 20 when interviewed a third time in 1999-2000. For more see news release USDL 01-479, "Employment Experience Of Youths: Results From The First Three Years Of A Longitudinal Survey".