In October 1984, unacceptably high levels of unemployment persisted in many regions of the United States. Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that nearly 8.5 million Americans, or 7.4 percent of the civilian labor force, are still without work. When the 5.5 million Americans working part-time because of economic reasons, as…

In light of pressure on Congress to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour, a study looked at the effects such a raise would have on more than 10 million workers, many of them teenagers. The study used quarterly data on the labor force participation rates of teenagers from 1978 through 1999 and other studies to assess the effects of…

The United States is a labor surplus society, one with a persistent shortage of jobs. This labor surplus--manifested in excessively and persistently high unemployment--will continue through the 1980s. The existence of a persistent job shortage, resulting in a labor surplus of four to six million unemployed workers without a constructive economic…

This chartbook presents information on the extent and nature of unemployment in the United States. The statistics presented are part of a broad array of unemployment and related labor force data available from the Current Population Survey, a sample survey of some 60,000 households conducted monthly by the Bureau of the Census. The 28 charts and…

Although youth between the ages of 16 and 19 account for only 6.7 percent of the nation's labor force, they constitute 17.9 percent of the officially unemployed. Unemployment among youth is rising. More than 46 percent of the nation's black youth and nearly 39 percent of Hispanic children currently live below the poverty level. Moreover, real…

This report summarizes data from the 1976 Survey of Income and Education, concerning the labor force participation, work experience, earnings, and unemployment of 32.8 million youth aged 14 to 21. Special attention is paid in the report to the experience of the poor, minorities, and women. Following an initial narrative summary of survey findings…