The Great Recession left a crater in the labor market that has been devastating for unemployed Americans of all ages. After more than two years of unemployment at well over 8%, there is a hole of more than 11 million jobs, with average spells of unemployment lasting nearly nine months. The weak labor market has been particularly tough on young workers. In 2010, the unemployment rate for workers age 16-24 was 18.4%--the worst on record in the 60 years that this data has been tracked. Though the labor market has started to "slowly" recover, the prospects for young high school and college graduates remain grim. This briefing paper examines the dire labor market confronting young workers and concludes with ways that government policy could help. (Contains 11 figures and 2 endnotes.)