From April 2011 to October 2011 the unemployment rate ranged from 9.0–9.2 percent. For youth between the ages of 16 and 19, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ranged from 27.1-24.1 percent (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011a).

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 45 percent of youth between the ages of 16 and 24 are employed in some capacity. Youth not in school were employed at the rate of 63 percent (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010a).
• In 2010, 19.1 percent of youth in the workforce (actively working or seeking employment) were unemployed (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010c).
• The typical young person will hold an average of 4.4 short-term jobs between the ages of 18 and 22. These are “transition” jobs where youth learn, through trial and error, invaluable lessons in self-management, cultural adaptation, and meeting expectations (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010c).
• Summer employment for youth in 2010 fell to an unprecedented rate of 48.9 percent, the lowest since 1948 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010d).

While the economy has made it difficult for all youth and adults to find jobs, certain populations of youth—including those that are or have been involved in the foster care system or juvenile justice system, runaway or homeless youth, youth who have dropped out of high school, pregnant or parenting youth, youth with disabilities—have additional challenges in getting early work experience. These youth face increased barriers to employment. For example, lack of transportation, overcoming stigma, mental illness, substance abuse, previous felonies or juvenile record, lack of child care, transient lifestyles, a lack of documentation, and a lack of support.

• White youth (52.3 percent of all youth) were employed at higher rates in July 2011 than other racial and ethnic groups. Hispanic youth were employed at 42.9 percent, Asian youth at 40.5 percent and black youth at 34.6 percent (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011b).
• Among high school and college students, women are employed at a higher rate than men; but among non-students in that age group, men are employed at a higher rate than women (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010b).
• Youth who graduate from high school are more likely to be employed than youth who dropped out of high school (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010c).
• Youth with disabilities are employed at a lower rate than youth without disabilities. In October 2011, 11.9 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 30.9 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds with disabilities were employed, while 25.7 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds and 63 percent of 20- to 24-year-olds without disabilities were employed (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011c).
• In a study across three years in three states, researchers found that youth aging out of foster care have very low levels of employment, received lower incomes than youth in a comparison group, and made slower progress within the labor market (Goerge et al., 2002). 
• Of youth aged 14 to 21 served under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I Part D (i.e., neglected, delinquent, or at-risk youth including those in juvenile corrections or detention, neglected programs, adult corrections, and other programs) in the 2008-2009 school year, only two percent obtained employment while in the program or within 30 days after the program (Bardak, Seidel, Seiter, & Lampron, 2011).
• A multi-city study found homeless youth were more likely to be unemployed if they had been on the streets longer, currently lived on the streets, earned an income from panhandling, and were addicted to drugs (Ferguson, Bender, Thompson, Macio, & Pollio, 2011).

Youth are employed in a variety of jobs. Figure 1 shows the number of youth aged 16 to 24 employed in different industries, based on data from July 2011. Youth are more likely to be employed in the leisure and hospitality and retail industries than other industries.

Figure 1. Employed Persons 16 to 24 Years of Age by Industry, Class of Worker July 2011, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Chart data

Note: Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011b) Youth employment in July 2011. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2011/ted_20110826.htm