Eating and drinking places industry hire the most 15-year-olds

The eating and drinking place industry was by far the largest employer of both male and female 15-year-olds working in "employee" jobs in 1995-1997. "Employee" job is defined as an ongoing relationship with a particular employer.

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The eating and drinking place industry employed 31 percent of young females with employee jobs. At 11 percent, the miscellaneous entertainment and recreation services industry was a distant second. Other industries that employed many 15-year-old females included grocery stores at 4 percent, private households (personal services) at 3 percent and religious organizations and child day care services both at 2 percent.

Among male youths with employee jobs, 27 percent worked in the eating and drinking place industry. At 8 percent each, the construction and the miscellaneous entertainment and recreation industries were the next most common industries employing male 15-year-olds. Rounding out the top 5 were grocery stores at 5 percent and newspaper publishing and printing at 4 percent.

Data on the employment experience and other characteristics of youths are a product of the National Longitudinal Surveys program. Note that jobs such as baby-sitting or yard work done on an as-needed basis or for multiple employers are considered to be "freelance" jobs rather than "employee" jobs. Additional information is available from Chapter 3 of the Report on the Youth Labor Force.