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Press Releases
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JUNE JOBLESS RATE AMONG AMERICA'S TEENS HIGHEST IN 55 YEARS
Three Out of Four Black Teens and
Two Out of Three Hispanic Teens Were Jobless |
Washington, D.C. - Joblessness among America's youth rose to 59.1percent in June, according to a Children's Defense Fund® analysis of data released last week by the U.S. Department of Labor. This is the highest June jobless rate for youth in the 55 years that data have been reported and the highest ever for a summer month. Joblessness is defined as all those not employed, including those currently looking for work—termed "unemployed" in government statistics—and those not looking for work.
Joblessness among Black and Hispanic teens was even higher: 78.3 percent for Black teens (the highest since 1983) and 68.4 percent for Latino teens, the highest reported for young Latinos.
The 2001 tax cut did not produce the jobs that teens need to supplement family income or earn money to pay for college, according to Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund. Twenty-two states have seen increases of 10 percent or more in state college tuition fees during the past year, according to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
"If benefits from the Bush Administration's massive tax cuts to the wealthy were supposed to trickle down to the rest of the work force, they are not reaching young people," said Edelman. "Joblessness among Black teens is the highest it has been since the Reagan Administration. How shameful that the Bush Administration hands billions to millionaires but will not help provide jobs for young people who desperately need them."
At the same time that the jobless rate for young people is rising, the Bush Administration has proposed elimination of the Workforce Investment Act's Youth Opportunity Grant program. In a job market where training and experience are essential, programs that offer youth skills training are a crucial part of reducing teen unemployment. The administration and Congress' proposed changes to the Workforce Investment Act could be devastating to young people who need work.
The latest data for large cities (April, 2000) show the highest rates of out-of-school youth without employment were in Hartford, CT (70.5%), New Orleans, LA (69.4%), Brownsville, TX (68.1%), Miami, FL (67.5%), and Gary, IN (67.3%). The large city data (for cities over 100,000 population) are from the 2000 Census and are also available by race and education status.
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Background Information:
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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds. |
