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…

The authors analyze three major hypotheses for the worsening youth employment situation in Europe: demographic, cyclical, and structural; and review the advantages and disadvantages of various policies designed to lessen youth unemployment. (SJL)

This hearing before the Joint Economic Committee contains statements from Members of Congress and others concerning the high youth unemployment rates and the youth transition to work. Possible ways of improvement are discussed, such as a national voluntary youth service, a civilian conservation corps, and a range of youth service training…

This report presents the results of an Australian survey investigating the issues raised by unemployment in society, using extensive quotations from the respondents. In 1983 an open-ended questionnaire was sent to a group of about 10,000 young people (aged 18-22) in Australia to determine their opinions about unemployment and the future and to…

This annual report covers the period July 1985 through June 1986, Program Year 1985. Part I presents findings and recommendations from Commission work on the impact of new technologies on jobs, the problems of displaced workers, and workers' increasing need for basic skills. Part II describes the major activities of the Commission in three major…

Dan Dunham, my Deputy Commissioner, and I agreed on six top priorities for occupational and adult education to guide our administration in the days ahead. First, we agreed that we must continue to expand access. Second, we must have equity of opportunity. Third, we must develop better accountability and data systems in vocational education. As a…

According to the Advisory Board of the National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce (EQW), young people in the United States are losing out in the job market, too often having to settle for intermittent, part-time jobs, routinized work, low wages, and few if any benefits. This circumstance has been the result of a net loss of 1.65…

In times of economic recession, dollars for job training and job placement programs grow scarcer, and those that are available tend to go to middle-class workers who are displaced or temporarily unemployed. The structurally unemployed--primarily the poor, the less educated, and minority youth--find it harder to compete for the needed training, and…

The consensus of many organizations in the youth employment field is that the United States needs a bold new approach to youth employment and training. The development of a broad, national youth development strategy is recommended. The strategy should include the following: (1) a multi-year investment in a young person's development; (2) workforce…

An analysis of teenage unemployment indicates that it is very high and endangers the future of some of the young. In 1975 the unemployment rate for teenagers, ages 16-19, was 19.9%. For nonwhite teenagers, it was even higher (36.9%). Teenagers accounted for more than 20% of the total number of unemployed, but less than 19% of the total labor…

Part 2 of this Australian newsletter from the National Clearinghouse on the Transition from School to Work contains 11 review papers offering perspectives from various authors on a youth policy. The first two papers, "Youth Policies" by Shears and Matthews and "Putting Youth into Youth Policy" by Clohesy, provide an overview of…

The task of addressing the complex and deeply rooted problems faced by the nation's at-risk youth is one that largely falls outside the scope of traditional institutions. Investment in the development and operation of "second-chance" education and employment programs has historically been inadequate, haphazard, and uncertain. The gains…

To help reduce youth unemployment in Hawaii (which stood at about 26 percent in 1975), a statewide policy was developed which included goals for youth employment. These goals are (1) to establish priority for programs that promote long-term employability; (2) to improve youth's transition from school to work; (3) to diversify and increase…

At the request of the United States Senate Budget Committee, a study was conducted to analyze present federal programs affecting the youth labor market and to consider a number of alternative options. The study showed that in 1981 the unemployment rate among white youths aged 16-21 was 15 percent, more than twice the average rate for the labor…

A policy that addresses youth unemployment with monetary expansion for similar fiscal policies is criticized as compounding the problem, and alternative solutions are offered. Accordingly, a brief look at youth labor market characteristics, pertinent labor market theory, and the present industrial distribution of employed youth is offered. A…