Teenage Unemployment Is Not Cool, Dude

by M G · 2010-02-04 07:40:00 UTC
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Youth unemployment is a major problem resulting from the economic downturn that is all too often ignored. Almost everyone knows an eager teenager who can't find an after-school or summer job, but most people assume it's not a serious concern compared to unemployed adults with families and bills to pay. Teens have plenty of time to join the workforce, right? Unfortunately, the consequences of high youth unemployment can be severe for both teenagers and society at large.

A new study from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University illustrates the scale of the problem. As of last fall, just 26 percent of Americans between 16 and 19 years old were employed. In 2000, 45 percent of that age group had jobs. Among the hardest hit, unsurprisingly, are low-income teens, the same people who need the jobs most. Positions once reserved for high school students behind cash registers and fast-food counters are being awarded to more experienced people -- retirees, former stay-at-home moms and those laid off from higher-paying jobs. Young adults are affected as well; the number of people between age 20 and 24 who are not in school or employed rose 10 percent in two years, to 28 percent. Meanwhile, government-run summer jobs programs specifically targeted at low-income teenagers are being cut in many states. In New York, Governor David Paterson has proposed slashing $19 million that helps to employ poor teenagers in New York City.

Many people have touted government-funded service programs like Americorps and YouthBuild as the answer to the youth unemployment crisis, but those are not immune to budget cuts either, especially in the face of President Obama's proposed spending freeze. Fewer than 30,000 of those jobs currently exist.

People may scoff at the idea that teenagers "need" jobs, but the evidence is clear. Low-income teens who cannot find work are likely to "face deep long-term declines in their employability, earnings and marriage rates," according to the Center for American Progress. That means that as adults those people could impose "serious fiscal burdens on the rest of society associated with low lifetime earnings, lessened tax contributions and higher correctional costs." The prospect of millions more unemployed adults forced to rely on the government should scare leaders into doing something about the youth unemployment crisis. Be sure to do your part to help -- hit up the video game store, order a pizza and tip your teenage ice cream scooper well.

Photo credit: iMorpheus

M G was most recently a staff reporter for The Washington Post, covering philanthropy and nonprofits, education and the war in Iraq.

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