Posted on 09/04/2009 3:31:02 PM PDT by pissant
Pity the unemployed, but especially pity the teenage unemployed.
According to today’s job report, the overall unemployment rate (the percentage of people in the labor force not working but looking for work) in August rose to 9.7 percent, its highest level in 26 years. The teenage unemployment rate, however, is at 25.5 percent, its highest level since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track of such data in 1948.
Take a look at the chart below, which shows seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for teenagers (workers 16 to 19), nonteenagers (20 or older) and older workers (55 or older). You’ll see that teenage unemployment has always topped the other two, but it has been especially bad in this recession:
(Excerpt) Read more at economix.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Sour economy plus higher minimum wage mandates = less entry level jobs.
Krugman can’t figure this one out for the NYT?
Plenty of work picking fruit, washing dishes, cleaning houses, still some left in construction, babysitting, etc. Kick out the illegal aliens and there will be plenty of jobs for teenagers.
Gee, it would be tragic if they ended up working in someone’s yard for the summer doing landscaping for cash. Darned shame if the government missed out on its take of their income. Black markets in labor are really bad for liberals.
Think I’ll go have a beer in my excellent garden.
Never let a crisis go to waste. Just have the red Van open a green brown shirt factory in every state and hire away!
Ping for later
A very important statistic over the next few years IMO.
Immigration, legal and illegal, has been the cause of high teen unemploynment. Even before the downturn, the levels were at record highs.
Minimum wage increase.
It was raised for good intentions. An employer who has to pay it, will hire experienced people instead of kids.
Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell were telling everybody about minimum wage increases 10 to 15 years ago.
This is the consequences of good intentions coming to bite the liberal mantra.
two more words: illegal aliens
That’s why I have always been in favor of a “training wage” for teenagers that is less than the regular minimum. Teenagers still live under the parents so they don’t have to worry about housing and other costs. Yet they do need an opportunity to earn.
Agree. Good point
Though I agree kicking out the illegals is a good thing, I don't think that will address the teenager unemployment rates very much. Most of those kids want part time work, not full time like illegals need to survive.
My son (18) can't find a part time job to save his life. New minimum wage rates, slow stalling economy, uncertain future all adds up to NOBODY hiring
Start his own business...cutting lawns, raking leaves, shopping for older folks who can't get out, washing their windows....the possibilities are ENDLESS! All you need is ambition and the will to succeed.!
I love it.Tough love is on the way.
Between 1973 to 1975 during the summer I picked tobacco. Back then the kids were willing to do that work. It is very dirty and hard. I haven’t seen any gringos doing that in at least 20 years. Back then we were paid 1.38 an hour to 2.00. Now they start at about 8 or 9 an hour. I live in cigar wrapper country. Every August expect a big delay driving behind a tractor down the main roads. You don’t see any Americans doing this work. I told my 15 year old daughter that she could make over 300 dollars a week sewing tobacco. She said no way. She got a job delivering newspapers for 20 dollars a week. The job is year round and I respect her for it. I used to be a paperboy myself before I was a tobacco picker.
All good points, but he is in honors classes and he just needs a part time job for some pocket money. Starting your own business is rather time consuming and probably would take away from his education.
My daughter applied at over 8 places looking for summer work. She got called back on only one. On all the applications, there was a section that wanted to know if your family was on food stamps, if you were a part of a “program”, or a minority. These people get first dibs at jobs because I bet the company gets monetary incentives to hire them. That is why,particularly here on Long Island, all the jobs that typically went to local teens are now being snatched up by immigrants and the ubiquitous minorities. It is interesting that she had no luck getting work even in the supermarket down the street where her older brothers both worked as teens. It is horrible.
I think it is significant to note that when unemployment rates started hitting these heights in France 2 years ago the unemployed French Yewts spent the summer rioting and burning anything they could get their hands on.
I’m not saying we will see that here, but unemployment at these levels among that demographic is not good news and will lead to nothing good.
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