Working for Change Forum If Not Now, then When? Congressional Opportunities to Address Our Nation’s Youth Unemployment Crisis May 21, 2010 Kisha Bird Project Director, Campaign for Youth

2 Employment-Population Ratio yrs., yrs., 25 and older, unadjusted, for years Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, retrieved May 19, 2010

3 Employment-Population Ratio yrs., By Race, Unadjusted Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, retrieved May 19, 2010

4 Percent of High School Dropouts 16 to 24 who were employed April 2010 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, retrieved May 19, 2010, A-16. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by school enrollment, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

5 Year Youth FundingCurrent DollarsPercent Change (1991 to 2001) (1991 to 2010) Funding to workforce system for youth programming (numbers in thousands)* Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator

6 Our economy, national security, and social cohesion face a precarious future if our nation fails to develop now the comprehensive policies and programs needed to help all youth. In developing these policies and programs, it is crucial to recognize the growing gap between more fortunate youth and those with far fewer advantages… William T. Grant Foundation Commission on Work, Family and Citizenship (1988) Noted that most new jobs created in the nineties and beyond would require some level of postsecondary education. They cautioned that, without substantial adjustment in policies and without investments being made in education and training, the problems of minority unemployment, crime, and dependency would be worse in Workforce 2000 (1987) noted that one in five young people in this country grew up in third-world surroundings and started out with severe learning disadvantages from which they never recovered. The report recommended investment in a dropout recovery system that would build the connection between education and work for youth without high school certification. America’s Choice High Skills or Low Wages (1990)

 The more teens work this year, the more they work next year.  Less work experience today leads to less work experience tomorrow and lower earnings down the road.  Disadvantaged teens who work in high school are more likely to remain in high school than their peers who do not work.  Teens who work more in high school have an easier time transitioning into the labor market after graduation.  National evidence shows that pregnancy rates for teens are lower in metropolitan areas where employment rates for teen girls are higher. Source: Andrew Sum, Joseph McLaughlin, Ishwar Khatiwada, et al., Still Young, Idle, and Jobless: The Continued Failure of the Nation’s Teens to Benefit From Renewed Job Growth, Center for Labor Market Studies Northeastern University,

Labor Market Challenges- Changing Demographics  The fastest growing segment of the US population, the Latino population, is expected to account for around 20 percent of the nation’s total population by However, close to 50 percent of Latinos will not have a high school diploma, and up to 80 percent will not speak English well.  The fastest growing segment of our labor force has some of the lowest level of educational attainment. Minorities – Blacks, Latinos, Asians -- are expected to become the majority in the US by  US Economy is projected to add 15 million jobs by 2016 –half will require post-secondary credentials  80% of fastest growing occupations will require advanced skills – health, technology, human services, environmental science 8

Ensure sufficient funding to provide disconnected and disadvantaged youth jobs, education and training opportunities Purposeful legislative efforts are needed to connect youth to jobs, paid work experience, education, and training to prepare them for openings in the new economy Without short and long-term investments low-income and disconnected youth will most likely spend the better part of a decade with few opportunities to work, gain skills, or earn family sustaining wages 9

For More Information: Kisha Bird Project Director, Campaign for Youth CLASP | th Street NW | Suite 200 | Washington, DC p (202) | f (202) | Visit: or 10