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For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, August 16, 2023 USDL-23-1792 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 2023 In July 2023, 55.0 percent of young people (persons ages 16 to 24) were employed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This measure was little changed from 55.3 percent in July 2022. The July 2023 figure remains below its level of 56.2 percent in July 2019, prior to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. (The month of July typically is the summertime peak in youth employment.) The unemployment rate for youth was 8.7 percent in July 2023, little different than the rates in July 2022 (8.5 percent) and in 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. In 2023, the youth labor force grew by 2.2 million, or 10.4 percent, from April (21.5 million) to July (23.7 million). (See table 1.) The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.2 percent in July 2023, 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.) In 2023, the July labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men, at 60.4 percent, was down over the year. The July rate for young women, at 60.0 percent, was little different from a year earlier. Continuing a long-standing pattern, Whites had the highest youth labor force participation rate and Asians had the lowest rate (62.6 percent and 49.8 percent, respectively) in July 2023. The participation rates for Black (53.5 percent) and Asian (49.8 percent) youth showed little change over the year. After adjusting for population controls, the participation rates for White (62.6 percent) and Hispanic (57.5 percent) youth also showed little change over the year. Employment In July 2023, there were 21.6 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds. 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 55.0 percent in July 2023, little changed from the prior year. (See tables 1 and 2.) In July 2023, the employment-population ratios for young men (54.9 percent) and Blacks (43.8 percent) were lower than they were a year earlier. The ratios for young women (55.1 percent), Asians (47.0 percent), and Hispanics (51.5 percent) were little changed. In July 2023, 25 percent (5.3 million) of employed 16- to 24-year-olds worked in the leisure and hospitality industry, the largest share of youth workers. An additional 18 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. Unemployment among youth rose by 826,000 from April to July 2023. About 7 in 10 of the unemployed youth were looking for full-time work in July 2023, little different from the prior year. (See tables 1 and 2.) The youth unemployment rate, at 8.7 percent in July 2023, was little changed from July 2022. The July 2023 unemployment rate was lower for young Asians (5.6 percent) than in the prior summer, while the rates for young men (9.2 percent), women (8.2 percent), Whites (7.0 percent), Blacks (18.0 percent), and Hispanics (10.5 percent) showed little or no change. ______________________________________________________________________________________ | | | Adjustments to Population Estimates for Youth | | | | Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.| | The January 2023 adjustments had a disproportionately large effect on the population | | ages 16 to 24. Consequently, data for 2023 are not strictly comparable to those for | | earlier years. For more information, see Adjustments to Household Survey Population | | Estimates in January 2023 on the BLS website at | | www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. | |______________________________________________________________________________________|