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Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 00-243 Media contact: 691-5902 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Tuesday, August 22, 2000 EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 2000 The number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by nearly 2.2 million between April and July, 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 brought the employment-population ratio for the group to 65.0 percent, about what it had been in July 1998 and July 1999. The number of unemployed youth normally grows at this time of year as well and this year increased by 469,000. (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 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 as high school and college students take or search for summer employment. Recent graduates who are looking for more permanent employment also add to this seasonal increase. The April-to-July increase for 2000 was 2.6 million, resulting in a total youth labor force of 24.7 million in July. (See table 1.) The labor force participation rate for youth--the proportion of the youth population working or looking for work--was 71.9 percent in July. Labor force participation for young men each July has been trending down since 1990 and has now reached its lowest point on record, 75.4 percent. The youth labor force participation rates for women (68.4 percent), whites (74.8 percent), and blacks (62.0 percent) were little changed from their July 1999 levels. (See table 2.) Employment Nearly 22.4 million youths were employed this July, representing 65.0 percent of the population of 16- to 24-year-olds. The employmentpopulation ratios for young men (68.1 percent), women (61.9 percent), whites (68.9 percent), and blacks (49.4 percent) were very similar to those in recent years. Almost 9 out of every 10 employed youth were wage and salary workers in the private nonfarm sector in July. Almost 70 percent of this group were employed in either retail trade (7.4 million) or services (6.3 million). The government employed 1.5 million youths this July. Local governments accounted for just over half of these, a slight drop since last year. (See table 3.) - 2 Unemployment Almost 2.4 million youths were unemployed in July--that is, they were not working, but were actively looking for work and were available to take a job. The youth unemployment rate was 9.6 percent. This is the lowest summer youth unemployment rate since 1969. In July, jobless rates were 9.7 percent for young men, 9.5 percent for women, 7.8 percent for white youth, and 20.3 percent for black youth. These rates were all slightly lower than in 1999, following the downward trend of recent years. 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-yearolds) 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 the peak summer month of youth employment. Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 2000" in the February 2000 issue of Employment and Earnings. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. 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 Employment and Earnings. - 2 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 classof-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 2000 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) April-July changes(1) Employment status, sex, and race April May June July Number Percent TOTAL Civilian noninstitutional population................... Civilian labor force................................. Participation rate............................. Employed........................................... Employment-population ratio (2)................ Unemployed......................................... Looking for full-time work....................... Looking for part-time work....................... Unemployment rate.............................. Not in labor force................................... 34,372 22,101 64.3 20,191 58.7 1,910 1,272 638 8.6 12,271 34,346 22,259 64.8 20,078 58.5 2,181 1,545 636 9.8 12,087 34,393 24,469 71.1 21,926 63.8 2,544 1,886 658 10.4 9,924 34,422 24,747 71.9 22,368 65.0 2,379 1,746 633 9.6 9,674 50 2,647 7.6 2,177 6.3 469 474 -5 1.0 -2,596 0.1 12.0 11.8 10.8 10.6 24.6 37.2 -.7 11.2 -21.2 17,240 11,532 66.9 10,480 60.8 1,052 678 374 9.1 5,707 17,251 11,677 67.7 10,534 61.1 1,144 827 316 9.8 5,574 17,250 12,868 74.6 11,530 66.8 1,338 1,013 325 10.4 4,382 17,286 13,030 75.4 11,766 68.1 1,264 995 269 9.7 4,256 46 1,498 8.5 1,286 7.3 212 317 -105 .6 -1,451 .3 13.0 12.7 12.3 12.0 20.2 46.8 -28.1 6.3 -25.4 Men Civilian noninstitutional population................... Civilian labor force................................. Participation rate............................. Employed........................................... Employment-population ratio (2)................ Unemployed......................................... Looking for full-time work....................... Looking for part-time work....................... Unemployment rate.............................. Not in labor force................................... Women Civilian noninstitutional population................... Civilian labor force................................. Participation rate............................. Employed........................................... Employment-population ratio (2)................ Unemployed......................................... Looking for full-time work....................... Looking for part-time work....................... Unemployment rate.............................. Not in labor force................................... 17,132 10,569 61.7 9,711 56.7 858 595 263 8.1 6,563 17,095 10,582 61.9 9,545 55.8 1,037 718 320 9.8 6,513 17,143 11,602 67.7 10,396 60.6 1,206 872 333 10.4 5,542 17,136 11,718 68.4 10,603 61.9 1,115 751 364 9.5 5,419 4 1,149 6.7 891 5.2 257 156 101 1.4 -1,145 (3) 10.9 10.8 9.2 9.2 30.0 26.3 38.2 17.2 -17.4 27,342 18,322 67.0 16,941 62.0 1,380 880 500 7.5 9,020 27,369 18,456 67.4 16,959 62.0 1,497 1,057 440 8.1 8,913 27,398 20,303 74.1 18,570 67.8 1,733 1,264 469 8.5 7,095 27,431 20,519 74.8 18,913 68.9 1,606 1,146 459 7.8 6,913 89 2,197 7.8 1,972 6.9 226 266 -40 .3 -2,108 .3 12.0 11.6 11.6 11.3 16.3 30.2 -8.2 3.9 -23.4 5,145 2,868 55.7 2,407 46.8 461 347 114 16.1 2,277 5,148 2,850 55.4 2,271 44.1 579 422 157 20.3 2,298 5,153 3,103 60.2 2,440 47.3 663 536 127 21.4 2,050 5,158 3,200 62.0 2,549 49.4 651 519 132 20.3 1,959 14 332 6.3 142 2.6 190 172 18 4.3 -318 .3 11.6 11.3 5.9 5.6 41.3 49.6 15.9 26.6 -14.0 White Civilian noninstitutional population................... Civilian labor force................................. Participation rate............................. Employed........................................... Employment-population ratio (2)................ Unemployed......................................... Looking for full-time work....................... Looking for part-time work....................... Unemployment rate.............................. Not in labor force................................... Black Civilian noninstitutional population................... Civilian labor force................................. Participation rate............................. Employed........................................... Employment-population ratio (2)................ Unemployed......................................... Looking for full-time work....................... Looking for part-time work....................... Unemployment rate.............................. Not in labor force................................... 1 Changes are calculated using unrounded data. 2 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. 3 Less than 0.05 percent. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, 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 1997-2000 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) Employment status, sex, and race 1997 1998 1999 2000 32,803 23,931 73.0 21,197 64.6 2,734 2,005 729 11.4 8,872 33,266 24,225 72.8 21,599 64.9 2,626 1,910 716 10.8 9,041 34,000 24,672 72.6 22,178 65.2 2,494 1,888 607 10.1 9,327 34,422 24,748 71.9 22,368 65.0 2,379 1,746 633 9.6 9,674 16,548 12,653 76.5 11,207 67.7 1,446 1,094 352 11.4 3,894 16,779 12,807 76.3 11,370 67.8 1,436 1,083 353 11.2 3,973 17,076 12,975 76.0 11,638 68.2 1,337 1,053 284 10.3 4,102 17,286 13,030 75.4 11,766 68.1 1,264 995 269 9.7 4,256 16,256 11,278 69.4 9,990 61.5 1,289 912 377 11.4 4,977 16,487 11,418 69.3 10,228 62.0 1,190 827 363 10.4 5,068 16,923 11,697 69.1 10,540 62.3 1,157 834 323 9.9 5,226 17,136 11,718 68.4 10,603 61.9 1,115 751 364 9.5 5,419 TOTAL Civilian noninstitutional population............................. Civilian labor force........................................... Participation rate....................................... Employed..................................................... Employment-population ratio (1).......................... Unemployed................................................... Looking for full-time work................................. Looking for part-time work................................. Unemployment rate........................................ Not in labor force............................................. Men Civilian noninstitutional population............................. Civilian labor force........................................... Participation rate....................................... Employed..................................................... Employment-population ratio (1).......................... Unemployed................................................... Looking for full-time work................................. Looking for part-time work................................. Unemployment rate........................................ Not in labor force............................................. Women Civilian noninstitutional population............................. Civilian labor force........................................... Participation rate....................................... Employed..................................................... Employment-population ratio (1).......................... Unemployed................................................... Looking for full-time work................................. Looking for part-time work................................. Unemployment rate........................................ Not in labor force............................................. White Civilian noninstitutional population............................. Civilian labor force........................................... Participation rate....................................... Employed..................................................... Employment-population ratio (1).......................... Unemployed................................................... Looking for full-time work................................. Looking for part-time work................................. Unemployment rate........................................ Not in labor force............................................. 26,159 19,901 76.1 17,992 68.8 1,909 1,412 497 9.6 6,258 26,606 20,028 75.3 18,343 68.9 1,685 1,178 507 8.4 6,578 27,138 20,425 75.3 18,763 69.1 1,662 1,244 417 8.1 6,713 27,431 20,519 74.8 18,913 68.9 1,606 1,146 459 7.8 6,913 4,958 3,030 61.1 2,347 47.3 684 500 183 22.6 1,927 4,993 3,216 64.4 2,419 48.4 797 636 161 24.8 1,777 5,102 3,242 63.5 2,532 49.6 709 581 128 21.9 1,860 5,158 3,200 62.0 2,549 49.4 651 519 132 20.3 1,959 Black Civilian noninstitutional population............................. Civilian labor force........................................... Participation rate....................................... Employed..................................................... Employment-population ratio (1).......................... Unemployed................................................... Looking for full-time work................................. Looking for part-time work................................. Unemployment rate........................................ Not in labor force............................................. 1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, 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 1999-2000 (Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.) Total White Black Industry and class of worker 1999 2000 1999 2000 1999 2000 Total employed................................... 22,178 22,368 18,763 18,913 2,532 2,549 Agriculture ......................................... Nonagricultural industries........................... Private wage and salary workers.................... Mining........................................... Construction..................................... Manufacturing.................................... Transportation and public utilities.............. 763 21,415 19,498 51 1,310 2,020 828 688 21,680 19,896 38 1,547 2,088 1,018 728 18,035 16,436 51 1,208 1,668 662 653 18,260 16,783 38 1,473 1,793 777 16 2,516 2,299 67 253 134 19 2,529 2,337 52 210 200 Wholesale trade.................................. Retail trade..................................... Finance, insurance, and real estate.............. Services......................................... 650 7,566 1,008 6,064 669 7,387 868 6,281 598 6,535 784 4,930 576 6,201 707 5,217 28 766 176 874 63 901 119 793 Government......................................... Federal.......................................... State............................................ Local............................................ 1,526 180 463 882 1,514 193 547 775 1,232 140 376 717 1,249 136 456 657 200 25 59 116 168 38 49 81 Self-employed and unpaid family workers............ 392 270 366 228 18 24 NOTE: Beginning in January 2000, data reflect revised population controls used in the household survey. Dash represents zero.