For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, January 28, 2010 USDL-10-0099
Technical information: (202) 691-7410 * nls_info@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/nls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
AMERICA'S YOUTH AT 22: SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, TRAINING, AND
EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS BETWEEN AGES 21 AND 22
At age 22, women are more likely to be enrolled in college than men
and are also more likely to have completed a bachelor's degree, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Among 22-year-olds not
enrolled in college, men are more likely than women to be employed in
a civilian job or serving in the military.
These findings are from the first 11 annual rounds of the National
Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), which is a nationally re-
presentative survey of about 9,000 young men and women who were born
during the years 1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12 to 17
when first interviewed in 1997, and ages 22 to 28 when interviewed for
the eleventh time in 2007-08. Most NLSY97 respondents completed their
2007-08 interview before December 2007, when the nation officially en-
tered a recession. The survey provides information on work and nonwork
experiences, training, schooling, income, assets, and other character-
istics. The information provided by respondents can be considered re-
presentative of all men and women born in the early 1980s and living
in the United States when the survey began in 1997.
This release focuses on the school enrollment and employment experi-
ences of these individuals from the October when they were age 21 to
the October when they were age 22. Respondents were age 21 in October
during the years 2001 to 2006 and age 22 in October from 2002 to 2007.
Highlights from the longitudinal survey include:
--During the October when they were 22 years old, 25 percent of men
were enrolled in college, compared with 29 percent of women. Seven
percent of men had received a bachelor's degree by the October they
were age 22, compared with 13 percent of women.
--Among those who were enrolled in college when they were 21 years
old, 60 percent were still enrolled in college when age 22, and 24
percent had received a bachelor's degree. Non-Hispanic blacks and
Hispanics were less likely than whites to have received a bachelor's
degree between ages 21 and 22.
--Ten percent of male high school graduates who had never enrolled
in college were in the Armed Forces during the October when they
were age 22, as were 7 percent of the 22-year-old men who had at-
tended college but had not earned a bachelor's degree and were
no longer enrolled. Three percent of 22-year-old men with a bach-
elor's degree were serving in the Armed Forces.
--Individuals born from 1980 to 1984 held an average of 4.4 jobs
from age 18 to age 22. Those with more education held more jobs
than those with less education.
--High school graduates who had never enrolled in college were em-
ployed an average of 72 percent of the weeks from age 18 to age
22. By comparison, those who had dropped out of high school were
employed 54 percent of those weeks.
--By their 22nd birthday, 24 percent of young adults who had never
gone to college had been employed by the same employer for 2 years
or more since the time they left high school. Seven percent had
never held a job since they left high school.
Educational Attainment at Age 22
Twenty-seven percent of young adults were enrolled in college during the
October when they were age 22, and 10 percent had received a bachelor's
degree. Forty-four percent of 22-year-olds had graduated from high school
and were not enrolled in college, and 7 percent had earned a General Edu-
cational Development (GED) credential and were not enrolled in college.
Eleven percent of individuals were high school dropouts during the Octo-
ber when they were age 22. (See table 1.)
Women were more likely than men to be enrolled in college and were
more likely to have received a bachelor's degree. Twenty-nine percent
of women were attending college during the October when they were age
22, compared with 25 percent of men. Moreover, 13 percent of women had
earned a bachelor's degree, compared with 7 percent of men. The differ-
ence between women and men in college-enrollment rates stems from three
factors: (1) Women were more likely to have graduated from high school;
(2) among high school graduates, women were more likely to attend col-
lege; and (3) once enrolled in college, women were less likely than men
to leave college between school years without graduating.
Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics were less likely than non-Hispanic
whites to be enrolled in college during the October when they were age
22. Twenty-nine percent of whites were enrolled in college, compared
with 20 percent of blacks and 23 percent of Hispanics.
Schooling and Training between Ages 21 and 22
Some people delay their college enrollment for a year or more after
high school, and others enroll in college and then leave before earn-
ing a degree. Nine percent of high school graduates who were not en-
rolled in college during the October when they were age 21 were enrol-
led in college during the following October, and an additional 2 per-
cent had received a bachelor's degree. Sixty percent of individuals
attending college during the October when they were age 21 were still
attending college by the following October, and 24 percent had receiv-
ed a bachelor's degree. Women were more likely than men to have re-
ceived a bachelor's degree and also were more likely to be enrolled in
a graduate or professional program. (See table 2.)
Instead of attending school, some young adults enroll in training to
further their skills. Five percent of high school graduates who were
not enrolled in college at age 21 were in a training program during
the October when age 22, while 1 percent of those previously enrolled
in college at age 21 were enrolled in a training program at age 22.
Employment at Age 22 of Young Adults Not Enrolled in School
At age 22, labor force status differed substantially between high
school dropouts, high school graduates who had never attended college,
and individuals who had left college. Those with more education were
more likely to be employed in civilian jobs. Fifty-eight percent of
high school dropouts were employed in civilian jobs in the October
they were age 22. At the same age, 72 percent of high school graduates
who had never enrolled in college were employed in civilian jobs, and
another 6 percent were serving in the Armed Forces. Among 22-year-old
high school graduates who had some college experience but had not earn-
ed a bachelor's degree and were not enrolled in college during October,
77 percent were employed in civilian jobs, and 5 percent were serving
in the Armed Forces. Eighty-eight percent of 22-year-olds who had
earned a bachelor's degree and were no longer enrolled were employed
in civilian jobs, while 2 percent were serving in the Armed Forces.
(See table 3.)
Sixty-five percent of male high school dropouts were employed in the
civilian labor force during the October when they were age 22, com-
pared with 49 percent of female dropouts. Among high school gradu-
ates who had never enrolled in college, 74 percent of men and 70 per-
cent of women were employed in civilian jobs; 10 percent of men in
this educational-attainment group were serving in the military, com-
pared with 1 percent of women. Seventy-seven percent of both men and
women who had attended some college but had not earned a bachelor's
degree and were no longer enrolled were employed in civilian jobs in
the October when they were age 22; 7 percent of men in this educa-
tional-attainment group were serving in the military, compared with
over 2 percent of women. Among those who had earned a bachelor's de-
gree and were no longer enrolled, 90 percent of women and 85 percent
of men were employed in civilian jobs during the October when they
were age 22.
Employment Attachment of Young Adults
Individuals had an average of 4.4 jobs from the ages of 18 to 22 in
1998-2007. On average, men held 4.2 jobs and women held 4.5. (See
table 4.) In this report, a job is defined as an uninterrupted period
of work with a particular employer. (See the Technical Note for addi-
tional information on the definition of a job.)
On average, young adults were employed during 69 percent of all the
weeks occurring from age 18 to age 22. They were unemployed--that is,
without jobs but seeking work--6 percent of the weeks. They were not
in the labor force--that is, neither working nor seeking work--25 per-
cent of the weeks.
The amount of time employed differs substantially between educational-
attainment groups, especially among blacks and Hispanics or Latinos.
Blacks with less than a high school diploma spent 38 percent of weeks
employed and 44 percent of weeks out of the labor force from age 18 to
age 22. By comparison, black high school graduates who had never en-
rolled in college spent 58 percent of weeks employed and 29 percent
of weeks out of the labor force. Blacks with a bachelor's degree or
more education were employed 63 percent of weeks from age 18 to age
22. Hispanic or Latino high school dropouts spent 57 percent of weeks
employed, compared with 70 percent of weeks for Hispanic or Latino
high school graduates and 67 percent of those with a bachelor's degree
or more.
The amount of time spent in the labor force also differs by sex. Men
with less than a high school diploma spent 61 percent of weeks employed
from age 18 to age 22. These men also spent 13 percent of weeks unem-
ployed. By comparison, women with less than a high school diploma spent
45 percent of weeks employed and 10 percent of weeks unemployed from
age 18 to age 22. Women without a high school diploma spent as much
time out of the labor force as they did employed. Women with a bach-
elor's degree or more spent a larger proportion of weeks employed than
did men (69 versus 58 percent).
The number of jobs held by these young adults is very similar to the
number of jobs held by baby boomers who were ages 18 to 22 from 1978
to 1986. Women ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 spent a larger percentage
of weeks employed than did women ages 18 to 22 in 1978-86 (68 versus
60 percent). Hispanics and blacks ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 also
spent more time employed and less time unemployed or not in the labor
market than baby boomers who were the same ages in 1978-86. (See
tables 1 and 4 of "Number of Jobs Held, Labor Market Activity, and
Earnings Growth Among the Youngest Baby Boomers: Results from a
Longitudinal Survey," June 27, 2008, available on the BLS Web site
at www.bls.gov/nls/nlspressreleases.htm#anchy79.
Duration of Employment Relationships
By age 22, nearly all young adults had held at least one job since
leaving high school, although high school dropouts were less likely
ever to have held a job than were young adults with more education.
Of the jobs held by 18- to 22-year-old workers, 58 percent ended in
1 year or less, and another 13 percent ended in less than 2 years.
Eight percent of jobs lasted 2 years or more. Another 22 percent of
jobs were ongoing at the time of the 2007-08 survey, and their ulti-
mate duration is therefore not yet known. Jobs held by high school
dropouts were more likely to end in 1 year or less than were jobs
held by workers with more education. (See table 5.)
