Bleak employment prospects for DC teens

With an average teen unemployment rate over 50 percent, teens who want to work in the District of Columbia are having a tough time getting jobs and face a tougher future as a result. An analysis of US Census Bureau Data shows the average teen unemployment rate for workers ages 16-19, is 50.1 percent as of June 2011. This is up from the previous year where the rate was already an astounding 49.8 percent.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The high number is nearly double what it was in 2007, just before the recession, when it was still a significant 26.2 percent. Since then, the rate has increased each year. Michael Saltsman, research fellow at the Employment Policies Institute calculated the new figures using new US Census Bureau data.

"We're in the midst of the third summer in a row where teen unemployment has been above 20 percent," he said.
 
The high numbers are serious. At a time when many parents are out of work and college tuition is rising, the chronic poor employment outlook means many teens will have to defer schooling, obtain financial assistance, or simply turn to government entitlements to survive.

Worse, teens who have difficulty finding and keeping work while young also face higher unemployment as they grow older. Their relative lack of work experience means they will be less competitive in the workforce. Deferring or skipping college also reduces long-term opportunities for employment and self-sufficiency and increases the odds they will face higher debt or be compelled to resort to public assistance as they grow older.

Experts blame the recession, increased competition for jobs, as well as wage mandates and other government policies that make it more difficult and less desirable for businesses to hire teens. Many entry-level opportunities for teens have been eliminated, leaving them without options.

The second closest state is California with 34.4 percent teen unemployment.

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