Employment and Unemployment Among Youth Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, August 20, 2024                                    USDL-24-1720

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                    EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH -- SUMMER 2024


In July 2024, 54.5 percent of young people (those ages 16 to 24) were employed, the U.S. 
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This measure was little changed from 55.0 percent 
in July 2023. (The month of July typically is the summertime peak in youth employment.) 
The youth unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in July 2024, higher than the rate in July 2023
(8.7 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. In 2024, the youth labor force grew by 2.1 million,
or 9.9 percent, from April (21.4 million) to July (23.6 million). (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.4 percent in July 2024, little 
different 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.) 

After adjusting for population controls, the July 2024 labor force participation rate for 
16- to 24-year-old men (61.2 percent) increased over the year while the rate for young women 
(59.6 percent) was unchanged. Continuing a long-standing pattern, White youth had the highest 
labor force participation rate, and Asian youth had the lowest rate (63.5 percent versus 
50.2 percent) in July 2024. After adjusting for population controls, the participation rates 
for White youth increased to 63.5 percent in July 2024. The participation rates for Black 
(52.5 percent), Asian (50.2 percent), and Hispanic (57.0 percent) youth showed little or no 
change over the year. 

Employment

There were 21.3 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds in July 2024. Between April and July, 
the number of employed youth rose by 1.4 million, or 6.9 percent. The employment-population 
ratio for youth--the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional 
population with a job--was 54.5 percent in July 2024, little changed from the prior year. 
(See tables 1 and 2.) 

In July 2024, the employment-population ratios for young men (55.2 percent), young women 
(53.8 percent), White youth (58.1 percent), Black youth (44.3 percent), Asian youth 
(44.8 percent), and Hispanic youth (50.9 percent) were little changed over the year after 
adjusting for population controls.

In July 2024, 26 percent (5.5 million) of employed 16- to 24-year-olds worked in the 
leisure and hospitality industry, the largest share of youth workers. An additional 
17 percent of employed youth worked in the retail trade industry, and 13 percent 
worked in education and health services. (See table 3.)

Unemployment

Typically, the number of unemployed young people increases with the onset of summer, as 
people who were not in the labor force while attending school begin seeking employment. 
From April to July 2024, unemployment among youth rose by 752,000 to 2.3 million. About 
three-fourths of the unemployed youth were looking for full-time work in July 2024, in 
line with the share looking for full-time work in recent years. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

The youth unemployment rate, at 9.8 percent in July 2024, was 1.1 percentage points
higher than the rate in July 2023. The July 2024 unemployment rates were higher for 
young women (9.8 percent), White youth (8.4 percent), and Asian youth (10.8 percent) 
than in the prior summer, while the rates for young men (9.8 percent), Black youth 
(15.6 percent), and Hispanic youth (10.7 percent) showed little change.


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|										       |
|                   Adjustments to Population Estimates for Youth	               |
|										       |
| Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January      |
| data. The January 2024 adjustments had a disproportionately large effect on the      |
| population ages 16 to 24. Consequently, data for 2024 are not strictly comparable    |
| to those for earlier years. For more information, see Adjustments to Household       |
| Survey Population Estimates in January 2024 on the BLS website at                    |
| www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.   	                                       |
|______________________________________________________________________________________|