For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, August 18, 2021				USDL-21-1515

Technical information:   (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:           (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


		EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH -- SUMMER 2021


In July 2021, 54.4 percent of young people (persons ages 16 to 24) were employed, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was up from 46.7 percent in July 2020--
when youth employment was unusually low due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic--but
down from 56.2 percent in July 2019, before the pandemic. (The month of July typically is
the summertime peak in youth employment.) The unemployment rate for youth was 10.0 percent
in July 2021, down considerably from the rate in July 2020 (18.5 percent) but up from July
2019 (9.1 percent). (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth 
employment and unemployment that occur each 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 search for or take summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor
market to look for or begin permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew 
by 2.4 million, or 11.7 percent, to a total of 22.5 million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.5 percent in July 2021, an increase
of 3.2 percentage points from a year earlier. (The labor force participation rate is the
proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population that is employed or unemployed. To
be classified as unemployed, a person must either be looking and available for work or on
temporary layoff.) (See table 2.) The large over-the-year increase in the youth labor force
participation rate partly reflects widespread business closures and other restrictions in
the early stages of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which held down youth employment
in July 2020. Despite the large increase in 2021, the July youth labor force participation
rate was 1.3 percentage points lower than its 2019 level. 

In 2021, the July labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men, at 61.8 
percent, was up by 3.4 percentage points over the year but down by 1.4 percentage points
from 2019. The July rate for young women increased by 2.9 percentage points in 2021 to 59.1
percent but was 1.3 percentage points lower than in 2019. Youth labor force participation
rates for Whites (62.8 percent), Blacks (55.1 percent), and Hispanics (56.8 percent) were
higher in July 2021 than they were a year earlier when participation rates for these groups
declined abruptly due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the July 2021 
participation rate for Asians (44.6 percent) changed little over the year. The July 2021
participation rate for young Whites and for young Blacks were 1.3 percentage points and 3.2
percentage points lower, respectively, than in July 2019. The participation rate for young
Asians, at 44.6 percent in July 2021, was the same as in July 2019, and the rate for 
Hispanics, at 56.8 percent in July 2021, was little different than the rate in July 2019.
(See table 2.)

Employment

In July 2021, there were 20.3 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds. Between April and July,
the number of employed youth rose by 2.1 million, or 11.8 percent. The employment-population
ratio for youth--the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional 
population with a job--was 54.4 percent in July 2021, an increase of 7.7 percentage points 
from the prior year. However, the July 2021 ratio was lower than the July 2019 ratio of 
56.2 percent. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

Employment-population ratios were higher in July 2021 than they were a year earlier for 
young men (55.1 percent), women (53.7 percent), Whites (57.2 percent), Blacks (47.6 
percent), Asians (39.1 percent), and Hispanics (50.2 percent). However, for each of these
groups the ratios in July 2021 were lower than July 2019. 

In July 2021, 25 percent (5.2 million) of employed 16- to 24-year-olds worked in the 
leisure and hospitality industry, the largest share of youth workers. The leisure and 
hospitality industry, which includes food services, was particularly affected by pandemic-
related job losses. As pandemic-related restrictions began to ease in 2021, youth 
employment in the leisure and hospitality industry started to rebound; it was up by 981,000
from July 2020 to July 2021. (By comparison, employment in the industry was down by 1.1
million from July 2019 to July 2020.) An additional 20 percent of employed youth worked in 
the retail trade industry in July 2021, and 12 percent worked in education and health
services. (See table 3.)

Unemployment 

Typically, the number of unemployed young people increases between April and July, as 
people who were not in the labor force while attending school begin seeking employment. 
Unemployment among youth rose by 221,000 from April to July 2021. Three-fourths of the 
unemployed youth were looking for full-time work in July 2021, compared with about two-
thirds in July 2018, 2019, and 2020. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

The youth unemployment rate, at 10.0 percent in July 2021, was down from 18.5 percent in
July 2020 but was higher than the July 2019 rate of 9.1 percent. The July 2021 unemployment
rates for young men (10.9 percent), women (9.1 percent), Whites (8.9 percent), Blacks (13.6
percent), Asians (12.3 percent), and Hispanics (11.7 percent) were all substantially lower
than in the prior summer. 

Technical Note


   The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS),
a national sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households conducted monthly for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data in this release
relate to the employment status of youth (16- to 24-year-olds) during the months of
April-July. This period was selected as being the most representative time frame in
which to measure the full summertime transition from school to work. July is the peak
summer month of youth employment.

   Beginning in January of each year, data reflect revised population controls used in
the CPS. Additional information about population controls is available on the BLS
website at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals
upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When
a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the
sample estimates may differ from the true population values they represent. The component
of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling
error, and its variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is
about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample
will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population value because
of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of
confidence.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for
many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to
obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of
respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.

   More information on the reliability of data from the CPS and estimating standard errors
is available online at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Definitions

   The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.

   Employed. Employed persons are all those who, during the survey reference week (which
is generally the week including the 12th day of the month), (a) did any work at all as
paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm;
(c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family member's business. Persons who
were temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor
dispute, or another reason also are counted as employed.

   Unemployed. The unemployed are those who had no employment during the reference week,
were available for work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find employment
sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week. Persons who were waiting
to be recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not have been looking for
work to be classified as unemployed. Looking for full-time work refers to 35 hours or more
per week; part-time work refers to fewer than 35 hours per week.

   Civilian labor force. This group comprises all persons classified as employed or
unemployed.

   Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a
percent of the civilian labor force.

   Labor force participation rate. The labor force participation rate is the labor force
as a percent of the population.

   Employment-population ratio. The employment-population ratio is the employed as a
percent of the population.

   Not in the labor force. Included in this group are all persons in the civilian
noninstitutional population who are neither employed nor unemployed.

   Industry and class of worker. This information applies to the job held during the
reference week. Persons with two or more jobs are classified in the job at which they
worked the greatest number of hours. Beginning with data for 2020, persons are classified
using the 2017 Census industry classification system. The class-of-worker breakdown 
assigns workers to the following categories: Private and government wage and salary 
workers, unincorporated self-employed workers, and unpaid family workers.

   Wage and salary workers. Included in this group are persons who receive wages, salary,
commissions, tips, or pay in kind from a private employer or from a government entity.

   Self-employed workers. Included in this group are those who work for profit or fees
in their own unincorporated business, profession, trade, or farm. Only unincorporated
self-employed are included in the self-employed category. Self-employed persons whose
businesses are incorporated are included with private wage and salary workers.

   Unpaid family workers. Included in this group are persons working without pay for
15 hours a week or more on a farm or in a business operated by a family member in their
household.