TEXT Table 1. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, and race, April-July 1996 Table 2. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, and race, July 1994-96 Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1995-96 Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 96-360 606-6373 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 606-5902 Thursday, September 19, 1996 EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 1996 The number of employed youth increased by 2.6 million from April to July- -the traditional summertime peak--the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This seasonal expansion in employment of 16- to 24-year-olds was the same as that of a year earlier. The number of unemployed young people, which also grows at this time every year, rose by 603,000. (Because the focus of this analysis is the seasonal changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and summer, the data are not adjusted for seasonality.) Labor Force The 16- to 24-year old labor force--those working or actively looking for work--expands sharply between April and July each year, as large numbers of high school and college students search for summer jobs and recent graduates look for permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force rose by 3.2 million, to a total of 23.7 million in July. This was about in line with the increase which occurred over the same period in 1995. (See table 1.) The labor force participation rate for youth in July--the proportion of their population in the labor force--was 73.3 percent, a percentage point lower than the July 1995 level. The participation rates for each of the component groups--men, women, whites, and blacks--also were a bit lower than a year earlier. (See table 2.) Employment July youth employment was 20.7 million in 1996. The proportion of young people in the civilian population who were employed--64.1 percent in July-- was slightly below that of a year earlier. The employment-to-population ratio declined for young men and white youth, while remaining essentially unchanged for women and black youth. (See table 2.) Three-fifths of youth worked in retail trade and services in July; about 7 percent were employed in government. Black youth were more likely than white youth to work in government. (See table 3.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | NOTE: This release provides data on the influx of youth | |into the labor market between the spring and summer (table 1). | |The April-July period is used as the most representative time frame | |to measure the full summertime transition from school to work. July | |is preferable for analytical purposes since it is traditionally the peak| |month of youth employment. | | Information in this release will be made available to sensory | |impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; | |TDD phone: 202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - 2 - Unemployment The number of unemployed youth in July (3.0 million) and their unemployment rate (12.6 percent) were essentially the same as the year before. Unemployment rates for young men (13.0 percent), women (12.1 percent), whites (10.5 percent), and blacks (25.4 percent) were little changed from a year ago. (See table 2.) Table 1. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, and race, April-July 1996 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | April-July changes | | | | | Employment status, sex, and race | April | May | June | July |------------------- | | | | | | | | | | | Number | Percent ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | TOTAL | | | | | | | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population.................| 32,299 | 32,224 | 32,284 | 32,310 | 11 | (1) Civilian labor force...............................| 20,448 | 21,105 | 22,853 | 23,677 | 3,229 | 15.8 Participation rate...........................| 63.3 | 65.5 | 70.8 | 73.3 | 10.0 | 15.8 Employed.........................................| 18,076 | 18,439 | 19,890 | 20,702 | 2,626 | 14.5 Employment-population ratio (2)..............| 56.0 | 57.2 | 61.6 | 64.1 | 8.1 | 14.5 Unemployed.......................................| 2,372 | 2,666 | 2,963 | 2,975 | 603 | 25.4 Looking for full-time work.....................| 1,501 | 1,841 | 2,139 | 2,136 | 635 | 42.3 Looking for part-time work.....................| 870 | 824 | 824 | 839 | -32 | -3.6 Unemployment rate..............................| 11.6 | 12.6 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 1.0 | 8.6 Not in labor force.................................| 11,851 | 11,119 | 9,431 | 8,633 | -3,218 | -27.2 | | | | | | Men | | | | | | | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population.................| 16,149 | 16,120 | 16,152 | 16,179 | 30 | .2 Civilian labor force...............................| 10,748 | 11,182 | 12,123 | 12,667 | 1,919 | 17.9 Participation rate...........................| 66.6 | 69.4 | 75.1 | 78.3 | 11.7 | 17.6 Employed.........................................| 9,380 | 9,702 | 10,539 | 11,023 | 1,644 | 17.5 Employment-population ratio (2)..............| 58.1 | 60.2 | 65.3 | 68.1 | 10.1 | 17.2 Unemployed.......................................| 1,368 | 1,480 | 1,584 | 1,644 | 276 | 20.1 Looking for full-time work.....................| 922 | 1,097 | 1,186 | 1,182 | 260 | 28.2 Looking for part-time work.....................| 446 | 383 | 398 | 462 | 15 | 3.4 Unemployment rate..............................| 12.7 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 13.0 | .3 | 2.4 Not in labor force.................................| 5,401 | 4,938 | 4,029 | 3,512 | -1,889 | -35.0 | | | | | | Women | | | | | | | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population.................| 16,150 | 16,104 | 16,132 | 16,131 | -19 | -.1 Civilian labor force...............................| 9,700 | 9,923 | 10,730 | 11,010 | 1,310 | 13.5 Participation rate...........................| 60.1 | 61.6 | 66.5 | 68.3 | 8.2 | 13.6 Employed.........................................| 8,697 | 8,737 | 9,351 | 9,678 | 982 | 11.3 Employment-population ratio (2)..............| 53.8 | 54.3 | 58.0 | 60.0 | 6.1 | 11.5 Unemployed.......................................| 1,003 | 1,185 | 1,379 | 1,331 | 328 | 32.6 Looking for full-time work.....................| 579 | 744 | 953 | 954 | 375 | 64.8 Looking for part-time work.....................| 424 | 441 | 426 | 377 | -47 | -11.1 Unemployment rate..............................| 10.3 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 1.8 | 17.5 Not in labor force.................................| 6,450 | 6,182 | 5,402 | 5,121 | -1,329 | -20.6 | | | | | | | | | | | | White | | | | | | | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population.................| 25,681 | 25,695 | 25,714 | 25,729 | 48 | .2 Civilian labor force...............................| 16,959 | 17,556 | 19,019 | 19,644 | 2,685 | 15.8 Participation rate...........................| 66.0 | 68.3 | 74.0 | 76.4 | 10.3 | 15.8 Employed.........................................| 15,274 | 15,594 | 16,939 | 17,584 | 2,310 | 15.1 Employment-population ratio (2)..............| 59.5 | 60.7 | 65.9 | 68.3 | 8.9 | 14.8 Unemployed.......................................| 1,685 | 1,963 | 2,080 | 2,060 | 376 | 22.3 Looking for full-time work.....................| 1,020 | 1,313 | 1,470 | 1,429 | 409 | 40.2 Looking for part-time work.....................| 665 | 649 | 610 | 632 | -33 | -5.0 Unemployment rate..............................| 9.9 | 11.2 | 10.9 | 10.5 | .6 | 6.1 Not in labor force.................................| 8,722 | 8,138 | 6,695 | 6,085 | -2,638 | -30.2 | | | | | | Black | | | | | | | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population.................| 4,848 | 4,856 | 4,880 | 4,883 | 35 | .7 Civilian labor force...............................| 2,580 | 2,695 | 2,896 | 3,026 | 446 | 17.3 Participation rate...........................| 53.2 | 55.5 | 59.3 | 62.0 | 8.7 | 16.5 Employed.........................................| 2,022 | 2,106 | 2,132 | 2,258 | 235 | 11.6 Employment-population ratio (2)..............| 41.7 | 43.4 | 43.7 | 46.2 | 4.5 | 10.8 Unemployed.......................................| 557 | 589 | 763 | 768 | 211 | 37.8 Looking for full-time work.....................| 395 | 452 | 573 | 617 | 222 | 56.1 Looking for part-time work.....................| 162 | 136 | 190 | 151 | -11 | -6.7 Unemployment rate..............................| 21.6 | 21.8 | 26.4 | 25.4 | 3.8 | 17.6 Not in labor force.................................| 2,269 | 2,161 | 1,984 | 1,858 | -411 | -18.1 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Less than 0.05 percent. 2 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. Table 2. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, and race, July 1994-96 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | Employment status, sex, and race | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | TOTAL | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population...........................| 32,579 | 32,436 | 32,310 Civilian labor force.........................................| 24,132 | 24,102 | 23,677 Participation rate.....................................| 74.1 | 74.3 | 73.3 Employed...................................................| 21,068 | 21,041 | 20,702 Employment-population ratio (1)........................| 64.7 | 64.9 | 64.1 Unemployed.................................................| 3,064 | 3,062 | 2,975 Looking for full-time work...............................| 2,339 | 2,273 | 2,136 Looking for part-time work...............................| 725 | 789 | 839 Unemployment rate........................................| 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.6 Not in labor force...........................................| 8,447 | 8,334 | 8,633 | | | Men | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population...........................| 16,292 | 16,246 | 16,179 Civilian labor force.........................................| 12,836 | 12,884 | 12,667 Participation rate.....................................| 78.8 | 79.3 | 78.3 Employed...................................................| 11,159 | 11,311 | 11,023 Employment-population ratio (1)........................| 68.5 | 69.6 | 68.1 Unemployed.................................................| 1,676 | 1,573 | 1,644 Looking for full-time work...............................| 1,320 | 1,219 | 1,182 Looking for part-time work...............................| 356 | 354 | 462 Unemployment rate........................................| 13.1 | 12.2 | 13.0 Not in labor force...........................................| 3,456 | 3,363 | 3,512 | | | Women | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population...........................| 16,287 | 16,190 | 16,131 Civilian labor force.........................................| 11,297 | 11,219 | 11,010 Participation rate.....................................| 69.4 | 69.3 | 68.3 Employed...................................................| 9,909 | 9,730 | 9,678 Employment-population ratio (1)........................| 60.8 | 60.1 | 60.0 Unemployed.................................................| 1,388 | 1,489 | 1,331 Looking for full-time work...............................| 1,019 | 1,054 | 954 Looking for part-time work...............................| 368 | 435 | 377 Unemployment rate........................................| 12.3 | 13.3 | 12.1 Not in labor force...........................................| 4,990 | 4,971 | 5,121 | | | | | | White | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population...........................| 25,963 | 25,777 | 25,729 Civilian labor force.........................................| 20,048 | 19,890 | 19,644 Participation rate.....................................| 77.2 | 77.2 | 76.4 Employed...................................................| 17,928 | 17,876 | 17,584 Employment-population ratio (1)........................| 69.1 | 69.3 | 68.3 Unemployed.................................................| 2,120 | 2,014 | 2,060 Looking for full-time work...............................| 1,596 | 1,454 | 1,428 Looking for part-time work...............................| 524 | 559 | 632 Unemployment rate........................................| 10.6 | 10.1 | 10.5 Not in labor force...........................................| 5,915 | 5,887 | 6,085 | | | Black | | | | | | Civilian noninstitutional population...........................| 4,826 | 4,834 | 4,883 Civilian labor force.........................................| 3,073 | 3,083 | 3,026 Participation rate.....................................| 63.7 | 63.8 | 62.0 Employed...................................................| 2,309 | 2,230 | 2,258 Employment-population ratio (1)........................| 47.8 | 46.1 | 46.2 Unemployed.................................................| 764 | 852 | 768 Looking for full-time work...............................| 634 | 667 | 617 Looking for part-time work...............................| 130 | 186 | 151 Unemployment rate........................................| 24.9 | 27.7 | 25.4 Not in labor force...........................................| 1,753 | 1,751 | 1,858 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1995-96 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | Total | White | Black ___________________________________________________________ Industry and class of worker | | | | | | | | | | 1995 | 1996 | 1995 | 1996 | 1995 | 1996 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | | Total employed...................................| 21,041 | 20,702 | 17,876 | 17,584 | 2,230 | 2,258 | | | | | | Agriculture .........................................| 882 | 805 | 831 | 774 | 17 | 17 Nonagricultural industries...........................| 20,159 | 19,897 | 17,044 | 16,810 | 2,214 | 2,241 Private wage and salary workers....................| 18,131 | 18,111 | 15,412 | 15,403 | 1,913 | 1,971 Mining...........................................| 42 | 59 | 39 | 50 | 2 | 9 Construction.....................................| 1,157 | 1,105 | 1,064 | 1,041 | 60 | 51 Manufacturing....................................| 2,274 | 2,174 | 1,876 | 1,808 | 247 | 279 Transportation and public utilities..............| 701 | 707 | 569 | 542 | 105 | 136 Wholesale trade..................................| 613 | 584 | 547 | 514 | 43 | 51 Retail trade.....................................| 7,224 | 7,428 | 6,119 | 6,309 | 806 | 806 Finance, insurance, and real estate..............| 894 | 786 | 734 | 654 | 109 | 81 Services.........................................| 5,228 | 5,268 | 4,463 | 4,483 | 540 | 558 | | | | | | Government.........................................| 1,560 | 1,396 | 1,222 | 1,074 | 268 | 239 Federal..........................................| 204 | 158 | 141 | 106 | 46 | 26 State............................................| 478 | 476 | 355 | 368 | 104 | 80 Local............................................| 878 | 763 | 727 | 600 | 119 | 134 | | | | | | Self-employed and unpaid family workers............| 468 | 390 | 410 | 333 | 32 | 31 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________