Posted on 05/17/2010 5:08:38 AM PDT by Bad~Rodeo
The share of U.S.-born teenagers (16 to 19) in the labor force — working or looking for work — during the summer has been declining for more than a decade, long before the current recession. In 1994, nearly two-thirds of U.S.-born teenagers were in the summer labor force; by 2007 it was less than half. At the same time, the overall number of immigrants (legal and illegal) holding a job doubled. The evidence indicates that immigration accounts for a significant share of the decline in teen labor force participation. The decline in teen work is worrisome because research shows that those who do not hold jobs as teenagers often fail to develop the work habits necessary to function in the labor market, creating significant negative consequences for them later in life.
Among the findings:
•The summer of 2009 was the worst summer ever experienced by U.S.-born teenagers (16-19) since citizenship data was first collected in 1994. Just 45 percent were in the labor force, which means they worked or were looking for work. Only one-third actually held a job.
•Even before the current recession, the summer labor force participation of U.S.-born teenagers was deteriorating. Between the summers of 1994 and 2000, a period of significant economic expansion, the labor force participation of U.S.-born teens actually declined from 64 percent to 61 percent.
•After 2000, the summer labor force participation of U.S.-born teenagers declined from 61 percent to 48 percent by 2007. Thus even before the current recession fewer teens were in the labor force.
•Teen unemployment — the share looking for a job — has also tended to rise somewhat over time. But the big decline has been in the share of teenagers who are looking for work.
•The number of U.S.-born teenagers not in the labor force increased from 4.7 million in 1994 to 8.1 million in 2007. In the summer of 2009 it stood at 8.8 million.
•The severity of the decline is similar for U.S.-born black, Hispanic, and white teens. Between 1994 and 2007 the summer labor force participation of black teens declined from 50 to 35 percent; for Hispanic teens from 52 to 37 percent; and for whites it declined 69 to 55 percent.
•The fall-off is also similar for U.S.-born teenagers from both high- and low-income households.
•Immigrants and teenagers often do the same kind of work. In the summer of 2007, in the 10 occupations employing the most U.S.-born teenagers, one in five workers was an immigrant.
•Between 1994 and 2007, in occupations where teenage employment declined the most, immigrants made significant job gains.
•Comparisons across states in 2007 show that in the 10 states where immigrants are the largest share of workers, just 45 percent of U.S.-born teens were in the summer labor force, compared to 58 percent in the 10 states where immigrants are the smallest share of workers
. •Looking at change over time shows that in the 10 states where immigrants increased the most as a share of workers, labor force participation of U.S.-born teenagers declined 17 percentage points. In the 10 states where immigrants increased the least, teen labor force participation declined 9 percent.
•We also find that, on average, a 10 percentage-point increase in the immigrant share of a state’s work force from 1994 to 2007 reduced the labor force participation rate of U.S.-born teenagers by 7.9 percentage points.
•The most likely reason immigrants displace U.S.-born teenagers is that the vast majority of immigrants are fully developed adults — relatively few people migrate before age 20. This gives immigrants a significant advantage over U.S.-born teenagers who typically have much less work experience.
•The labor force participation of immigrant teenagers has also declined, though it was low even in the early 1990s. This along with the similar decline for U.S.-born teens from all racial and income backgrounds supports the idea that the arrival of so many adult immigrants, who work at the kinds of jobs traditionally done by teenagers, crowds all teenagers out of the labor force, both U.S.-born and foreign-born.
•Summer is the focus of this report; however, the decline in the employment of U.S.-born teenagers is year-round, including a decline during the other peak period of seasonal employment at Christmas.
•Although there is good evidence that immigration is reducing teenage labor market participation, other factors have likely also contributed...(rest of report at http://cis.org/teen-unemployment
I would guess that "significant share of the decline", is laziness, selfishness, and the "Mom Buy me that!" attitude I see in so many young people. ( My 14 year old daughter pointed this out to me. )
I don’t know, I’m with the kids on this one. Plenty of time to lose your job to cheap foreign labor when they become adults. Why rush it?
My 16yo wants to work and has already started looking for a summer job. The pickings are slim
When I was fourteen, I loaded trucks for North American Van Lines. You couldn't do that today.
“When I was fourteen, I loaded trucks for North American Van Lines. You couldn’t do that today”
________________________________________________
That’s true. My sister worked for UPS as a young woman and really hurt her back—to this day it bothers her, and she’s in her 40’s.
I think this author has the cause/effect relationship backwards.
I think one reason teenagers have disappeared from the workforce is that: (1) they don't want to work, and (2) our country has come to rely on teenagers whose primary role is to be consumers, not workers.
This is starkly evident at towns up and down the New Jersey shore. Many businesses there employ seasonal labor from places like Ireland and Eastern Europe -- while American teenagers loaf around and spend long stretches of their summers down there patronizing the same businesses where their parents probably worked a generation earlier.
I just wonder how much the minimum wage has to do with teen unemployment.
I'll give you that one.
My daughter statement comes from her observations. She notices "a gap", as she calls it in the age group between 16ish and 30ish. The group in the middle is going to be mostly forgotten about or marginalized in the future, because of a "spoiled brat, buy me that! attitude". To talk to her about it is interesting, I'll will tell you that I don't worry about her political, moral, or religious convictions.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!
I still think the attitude of this age group has a ton to do with it, it all works hand in hand. If I HAVE to pay you XYZ, I would expect XYZ about of work, not just XY and show up to work late, text all your friends, and leave early.
My wife and I are well-off and have three kids. I think we will encourage our children to work at part-time jobs ONLY to the extent it helps them prepare for college and a career. The pocket change they could earn at McDonald’s will not “move the needle”, but a full academic college scholarship might. We want their minds focused on the latter. We are Asian Indian. I think many parents of all races think the same way, but our views may be especially common among Asians. If it became clear that one of our kids were not “college material”, we would have to rethink our approach.
I hate to see teens so maligned. Not all are exemplary but there are tons of them doing remarkable things the most praiseworthy is of course fighting the Nation's wars.
The Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts has done several studies.
The first short paragraph shoots down the assertion of those who want to say today's teens are too lazy and don't want to find jobs. 45% want jobs, 33% have jobs. A pretty high unemployment rate among those looking for jobs. And if there were more opportunities, it's safe to say even more citizen teens would be looking.
I started working as a dishwasher for a steak house at 13. Until I started having kids I worked. Now my 15 year old son who REALLY wants to work because he wants a car, gets told no one hires 15s because of the liability and restricted hours. In Nebraska 14 & 15s can only work after 4:00 pm and before 7:00 pm during the week with a total of 18 hours per week during the school year. What employer in their right mind would want to mess with that? None in my area.
“The most likely reason immigrants displace U.S.-born teenagers is that the vast majority of immigrants are fully developed adults.”
Illegal included? Roofers I see are all Latino, many adults now have landscaping companies, and newspapers are going under. Any other positions beside “fat” food restaurants?
The Obama plan for Teenagers appears to be to sign them up for Americorps, the Civilian Defense Corps, or some other Brown Shirt organization, in exhange for which they will get free tuition and student aid to keep them in college until their 30’s (a la Germany). From there they will be shuttled straight into Gubbermint make-work jobe (Michelle’s “helping careers”) until they can retire on full Gubbermint pensions at age 50.
Unintended consequences of the nanny state are what is keeping the teenagers from working. I was working 40+ hours a week when I was 15. It's illegal to do that now. I was operating a meat slicer. You have to be 18 to do that now.
of course, having no other options in life at that point, they can then be counted on to participate in Greek-style riots should those pesky Republicans ever get into power and start cutting spending.
That was my first thought
New minimum wage and consumer spending bubble popping.
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