Full text of Summer 1999 : Text File, USDL - 99-234
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Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 99-234
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 606-5902 Thursday, August 26, 1999
EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 1999
The number of employed youth increased by 2.8 million from April to
July, the traditional summertime peak for youth employment, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This
year's seasonal expansion in employment of 16- to 24-year-olds was slightly
larger than the 2.5 million increase in the summer of 1998, but about the
same as the summer increase in 1997. The number of unemployed young
people, which also grows at this time of year, rose by 484,000 between
April and July. (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 seasonally adjusted.)
Labor Force
The 16- to 24-year-old labor force--those working or actively looking
for work--grows sharply between April and July of each year, as large
numbers of high school and college students take or search for summer jobs.
In addition, many recent graduates begin or look for year-round jobs. This
summer, the youth labor force rose by 3.3 million, to a total of 24.7
million in July. (See table 1.) The April-to-July increase has been about
this size in every year since 1994.
The labor force participation rate for youth--the proportion of the youth
population working or looking for work--was 72.6 percent in July. This
number has been trending downward over the last 10 years; it was 77.5
percent in 1989. This July, the participation rate was 76.0 percent for
young men, 69.1 percent for young women, 75.3 percent for young whites, and
63.5 percent for young blacks. (See table 2.)
Employment
A total of 22.2 million youth were employed this July, 65.2 percent of
the population age 16 to 24. The employment-population ratios for young
men (68.2 percent), women (62.3 percent), whites (69.1 percent), and blacks
(49.6 percent) were essentially the same as a year earlier.
About 7 in 8 employed youth were wage and salary workers in the private
sector this July, the same as last year. About 70 percent of these workers
were employed in either retail trade (7.6 million) or services (6.1
million). Government employed a total of 1.5 million young people in July
1999, the same as a year earlier. Nearly 3 in 5 of the young people with
government jobs were employed by local governments. (See table 3.)
- 2 -
Unemployment
About 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds were unemployed in July--that is,
they were not working, were actively looking for work, and were available
to take a job. The youth unemployment rate was 10.1 percent. The summer
youth unemployment rate has been trending down since 1996. In July 1999,
jobless rates were 10.3 percent for young men, 9.9 percent for young women,
8.1 percent for white youth, and 21.9 percent for black youth. The summer
jobless rates for these demographic groups were little changed from a year
earlier.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of 50,000 households
conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the Bureau of
the Census. The data in this release relate to the employment status of
youth (16- to 24-year-old) 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
traditionally the peak summer month of youth employment.
Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls
used in the household survey. For additional information, see "Revisions
in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1999" in the February
1999 issue of Employment and Earnings.
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.
Reliability
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 exact difference, or sampling
error, varies depending upon the particular sample selected, and this
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.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of
Employment and Earnings.
Definitions
The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly
below.
Employed persons are (a) all those who, during the survey reference
week, did any work at all as paid employees, worked in their own business,
profession, or on their own farm, or who worked 15 hours or more as unpaid
workers in a family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who did not work
but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to
illness, bad weather, vacation, child-care problems, labor disputes or
personal reasons, whether or not they were paid by their employers for the
time off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs.
Unemployed persons are all persons who had no employment during the
reference week, were available for work, except for temporary illness, and
had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4 weeks
preceding the survey. 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.
Civilian labor force comprises all persons classified as employed or
unemployed.
Unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed persons as a
percent of the civilian labor force.
Not in the labor force includes all persons who are not classified as
employed or unemployed.
Industry and class of worker for the employed relate to the job held
in the survey reference week. Persons with two or more jobs are classified
in the job at which they worked the greatest number of hours. In terms of
class-of-worker categories, wage and salary workers are those who receive
wages, salaries, commissions, tips, or pay-in-kind from a private employer
or from a government unit; self-employed persons are those who work for
profit or fees in their own business, profession, or trade, or operate a
farm; and unpaid family workers are persons working without pay for 15
hours a week or more in an enterprise operated by a member of their family.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, April-July 1999
(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................... 33,953 34,014 33,910 34,000 47 0.1
Civilian labor force................................. 21,411 22,028 23,825 24,672 3,262 15.2
Participation rate............................. 63.1 64.8 70.3 72.6 9.5 15.1
Employed........................................... 19,400 19,902 21,177 22,178 2,778 14.3
Employment-population ratio (1)................ 57.1 58.5 62.4 65.2 8.1 14.2
Unemployed......................................... 2,010 2,127 2,649 2,494 484 24.1
Looking for full-time work....................... 1,215 1,441 1,883 1,888 673 55.4
Looking for part-time work....................... 796 686 766 607 -189 -23.8
Unemployment rate................................ 9.4 9.7 11.1 10.1 .7 7.7
Not in labor force................................... 12,542 11,985 10,085 9,327 -3,215 -25.6
Men
Civilian noninstitutional population................... 17,012 17,064 17,021 17,076 64 .4
Civilian labor force................................. 10,958 11,522 12,524 12,975 2,017 18.4
Participation rate............................. 64.4 67.5 73.6 76.0 11.6 18.0
Employed........................................... 9,860 10,369 11,105 11,638 1,778 18.0
Employment-population ratio (1)................ 58.0 60.8 65.2 68.2 10.2 17.6
Unemployed......................................... 1,098 1,154 1,419 1,337 239 21.8
Looking for full-time work....................... 697 795 1,024 1,053 356 51.1
Looking for part-time work....................... 401 359 396 284 -117 -29.2
Unemployment rate................................ 10.0 10.0 11.3 10.3 .3 2.8
Not in labor force................................... 6,055 5,542 4,496 4,102 -1,953 -32.3
Women
Civilian noninstitutional population................... 16,940 16,950 16,889 16,923 -17 -.1
Civilian labor force................................. 10,453 10,506 11,301 11,697 1,244 11.9
Participation rate............................. 61.7 62.0 66.9 69.1 7.4 12.0
Employed........................................... 9,540 9,533 10,072 10,540 1,000 10.5
Employment-population ratio (1)................ 56.3 56.2 59.6 62.3 6.0 10.6
Unemployed......................................... 913 973 1,229 1,157 245 26.8
Looking for full-time work....................... 518 646 859 834 317 61.3
Looking for part-time work....................... 395 328 371 323 -72 -18.3
Unemployment rate................................ 8.7 9.3 10.9 9.9 1.2 13.3
Not in labor force................................... 6,488 6,444 5,588 5,226 -1,262 -19.4
White
Civilian noninstitutional population................... 27,004 27,052 27,094 27,138 134 .5
Civilian labor force................................. 17,778 18,258 19,791 20,425 2,647 14.9
Participation rate............................. 65.8 67.5 73.0 75.3 9.4 14.3
Employed........................................... 16,329 16,704 17,873 18,763 2,434 14.9
Employment-population ratio (1)................ 60.5 61.7 66.0 69.1 8.7 14.3
Unemployed......................................... 1,449 1,554 1,918 1,662 213 14.7
Looking for full-time work....................... 847 1,029 1,330 1,244 397 46.9
Looking for part-time work....................... 602 526 588 417 -184 -30.6
Unemployment rate................................ 8.2 8.5 9.7 8.1 .0 -.2
Not in labor force................................... 9,227 8,793 7,303 6,713 -2,514 -27.2
Black
Civilian noninstitutional population................... 5,075 5,084 5,093 5,102 27 .5
Civilian labor force................................. 2,634 2,789 3,080 3,242 608 23.1
Participation rate............................. 51.9 54.8 60.5 63.5 11.6 22.4
Employed........................................... 2,178 2,313 2,472 2,532 354 16.2
Employment-population ratio (1)................ 42.9 45.5 48.5 49.6 6.7 15.6
Unemployed......................................... 456 475 607 709 254 55.7
Looking for full-time work....................... 313 347 470 581 268 85.6
Looking for part-time work....................... 143 129 138 128 -14 -10.0
Unemployment rate................................ 17.3 17.0 19.7 21.9 4.6 26.5
Not in labor force................................... 2,441 2,296 2,014 1,860 -581 -23.8
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, July 1996-99
(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | | |
Employment status, sex, and race | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population............................. 32,310 32,803 33,266 34,000
Civilian labor force........................................... 23,677 23,931 24,225 24,672
Participation rate....................................... 73.3 73.0 72.8 72.6
Employed..................................................... 20,702 21,197 21,599 22,178
Employment-population ratio (1).......................... 64.1 64.6 64.9 65.2
Unemployed................................................... 2,975 2,734 2,626 2,494
Looking for full-time work................................. 2,136 2,005 1,910 1,888
Looking for part-time work................................. 839 729 716 607
Unemployment rate.......................................... 12.6 11.4 10.8 10.1
Not in labor force............................................. 8,633 8,872 9,041 9,327
Men
Civilian noninstitutional population............................. 16,179 16,548 16,779 17,076
Civilian labor force........................................... 12,667 12,653 12,807 12,975
Participation rate....................................... 78.3 76.5 76.3 76.0
Employed..................................................... 11,023 11,207 11,370 11,638
Employment-population ratio (1).......................... 68.1 67.7 67.8 68.2
Unemployed................................................... 1,644 1,446 1,436 1,337
Looking for full-time work................................. 1,182 1,094 1,083 1,053
Looking for part-time work................................. 462 352 353 284
Unemployment rate.......................................... 13.0 11.4 11.2 10.3
Not in labor force............................................. 3,512 3,894 3,973 4,102
Women
Civilian noninstitutional population............................. 16,131 16,256 16,487 16,923
Civilian labor force........................................... 11,010 11,278 11,418 11,697
Participation rate....................................... 68.3 69.4 69.3 69.1
Employed..................................................... 9,678 9,990 10,228 10,540
Employment-population ratio (1).......................... 60.0 61.5 62.0 62.3
Unemployed................................................... 1,331 1,289 1,190 1,157
Looking for full-time work................................. 954 912 827 834
Looking for part-time work................................. 377 377 363 323
Unemployment rate.......................................... 12.1 11.4 10.4 9.9
Not in labor force............................................. 5,121 4,977 5,068 5,226
White
Civilian noninstitutional population............................. 25,729 26,159 26,606 27,138
Civilian labor force........................................... 19,644 19,901 20,028 20,425
Participation rate....................................... 76.4 76.1 75.3 75.3
Employed..................................................... 17,584 17,992 18,343 18,763
Employment-population ratio (1).......................... 68.3 68.8 68.9 69.1
Unemployed................................................... 2,060 1,909 1,685 1,662
Looking for full-time work................................. 1,428 1,412 1,178 1,244
Looking for part-time work................................. 632 497 507 417
Unemployment rate.......................................... 10.5 9.6 8.4 8.1
Not in labor force............................................. 6,085 6,258 6,578 6,713
Black
Civilian noninstitutional population............................. 4,883 4,958 4,993 5,102
Civilian labor force........................................... 3,026 3,030 3,216 3,242
Participation rate....................................... 62.0 61.1 64.4 63.5
Employed..................................................... 2,258 2,347 2,419 2,532
Employment-population ratio (1).......................... 46.2 47.3 48.4 49.6
Unemployed................................................... 768 684 797 709
Looking for full-time work................................. 617 500 636 581
Looking for part-time work................................. 151 183 161 128
Unemployment rate.......................................... 25.4 22.6 24.8 21.9
Not in labor force............................................. 1,858 1,927 1,777 1,860
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey.
Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1998-99
(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| | |
| Total | White | Black
___________________________________________________________
Industry and class of worker | | | | | |
| | | | | |
| 1998 | 1999 | 1998 | 1999 | 1998 | 1999
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Total employed................................... 21,599 22,178 18,343 18,763 2,419 2,532
Agriculture ......................................... 803 763 756 728 30 16
Nonagricultural industries........................... 20,796 21,415 17,586 18,035 2,389 2,516
Private wage and salary workers.................... 18,927 19,498 16,074 16,436 2,109 2,299
Mining........................................... 57 51 53 51 4 -
Construction..................................... 1,161 1,310 1,088 1,208 49 67
Manufacturing.................................... 2,188 2,020 1,812 1,668 278 253
Transportation and public utilities.............. 821 828 711 662 90 134
Wholesale trade.................................. 657 650 594 598 45 28
Retail trade..................................... 7,377 7,566 6,279 6,535 840 766
Finance, insurance, and real estate.............. 890 1,008 733 784 102 176
Services......................................... 5,778 6,064 4,803 4,930 700 874
Government......................................... 1,484 1,526 1,163 1,232 254 200
Federal.......................................... 178 180 138 140 32 25
State............................................ 464 463 338 376 103 59
Local............................................ 842 882 687 717 119 116
Self-employed and unpaid family workers............ 384 392 349 366 26 18
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Beginning in January 1999, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Dash
represents zero.