N

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

ews United States 

Department 

of Labor 

 Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-1212 

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 

For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, August 28, 2008 

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH—SUMMER 2008 

From April to July 2008, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 1.9 million 

to 21.0 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. July is 

the traditional summertime peak for youth employment. This summer's increase in youth employment 

was lower than last year's 2.3 million increase. Unemployment among youth increased by 1.2 million 

between April and July 2008; this was more than twice the increase in youth unemployment during the 

same period in 2007. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment and 

unemployment that occur every spring and summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.) 

Labor Force

The youth labor force—16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking for work—grows sharply 

between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college 

students take or search for summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin 

permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by 3.1 million to a total of 24.4 

million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for youth—the proportion of their population working or looking 

for work—was 65.1 percent in July 2008, essentially the same as in July 2007 and about 12 percentage 

points below its peak for that month in 1989 (77.5 percent). Over the 1989-2008 period, the proportion 

of youth enrolled in school in July trended up; youth enrolled in school are much less likely than those 

not in school to be in the labor force. 

The July 2008 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men (68.1 percent) was about the 

same as a year earlier, and the rate for women (62.1 percent) was unchanged over the year. For several 

decades prior to 1989, young men's July labor force participation rate showed no clear trend, ranging 

from 81 to 86 percent. Since July 1989, however, their participation rate has trended down by about 15 

percentage points. Young women's July labor force participation rate peaked in 1989 after a long-term 

upward trend; their rate has trended down by about 10 percentage points since then. 

The July 2008 participation rates for whites (68.1 percent), blacks (54.7 percent), and Hispanics 

(60.1 percent) were little changed from a year earlier. For all three groups, labor force participation 

rates were more than 10 percentage points lower than their peak levels reached in July 1989. The 

participation rate for Asian youth in July 2008 (50.6 percent) also was little different from July 2007. 

(See table 2.) 
2

Employment

In July 2008, 21.0 million 16- to 24-year-olds were employed. The employment-population ratio 

for youth—the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional population that was employed—was 56.0 percent, down 2.0 percentage points from July 2007. The ratio has fallen by about 13 

percentage points since its peak in July 1989; the steep decline from July 2007 to July 2008 may reflect, 

in part, weaker labor market conditions during the summer of 2008. (See table 2.) 

The July employment-population ratio for young men was 57.9 percent in July 2008, down from 

60.3 percent in July 2007. The employment-population ratios for women (54.2 percent) and whites 

(59.7 percent) in July 2008 also were lower than a year earlier. The ratios for blacks (41.2 percent), 

Asians (46.4 percent), and Hispanics (50.5 percent) were about unchanged. 

In July 2008, 23 percent of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry (which 

includes food services) and 18 percent worked in retail trade. In addition, nearly two-fifths of employed 

youth worked in education and health services, professional and business services, government, manufacturing, and construction combined. (See table 3.) 

Unemployment

In July 2008, 3.4 million youth were unemployed and the youth unemployment rate was 14.0 

percent, the highest rate for July since 1992. As with the decline in employment, the increase in youth 

unemployment in the summer of 2008 partly reflected a weaker job market. The July 2008 unemployment rates for young men (15.0 percent), women (12.8 percent), whites (12.3 percent), blacks (24.8 

percent), and Hispanics (16.0 percent) increased from a year earlier. The jobless rate for Asians (8.4 

percent) was about unchanged from July 2007. (See table 2.) 
Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey 

of 60,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The data 

in this release relate to the employment status of youth (16- to 

24-year-olds) during the months of April-July. This period 

was selected as being the most representative time frame in 

which to measure the full summertime transition from school 

to work. July is the peak summer month of youth employment.

Beginning in January 2008, data reflect revised

population controls used in the CPS. For a discussion of the 

introduction of the revised population controls and the impact 

that their introduction had on the CPS data, see "Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in January 

2008" available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.pdf on 

the BLS Web site.

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339.

Reliability

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the "true" population values they 

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies 

depending upon the particular sample selected, and this

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, 

that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more 

than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value

because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data.

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see "Reliability of estimates fro m the CPS" available on the Internet at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Definitions

The principal definitions used in this release are

described briefly below.

Employed persons are (a) all those who, during the

survey reference week, did any work at all as paid employees, 

worked in their own business, profession, or on their own 

farm, or who worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a 

family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who did not 

work but had jobs or businesses from which they were

temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation,

child-care problems, labor disputes or personal reasons,

whether or not they were paid by their employers for the time 

off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs.

Unemployed persons are all persons who had no

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific 

efforts to find employment sometime during the 4 weeks

preceding the survey. Persons who were waiting to be 

recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not 

have been looking for work to be classified as unemployed.

Civilian labor force comprises all persons classified as 

employed or unemployed.

Unemployment rate represents the number of

unemployed persons as a percent of the civilian labor force.

Not in the labor force includes all persons who are not 

classified as employed or unemployed.

Industry and class of worker for the employed relate to 

the job held in the survey reference week. Persons with two 

or more jobs are classified in the job at which they worked 

the greatest number of hours. In terms of class-of-worker 

categories, wage and salary workers are those who receive

wages, salaries, commissions, tips, or pay-in-kind from a 

private employer or from a government unit; self-employed 

persons are those who work for profit or fees in their own 

business, profession, or trade, or operate a farm; and unpaid 

family workers are persons working without pay for 15 hours 

a week or more in an enterprise operated by a member of 

their family.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2008

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes1

Number Percent

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 37,425 37,449 37,476 37,506 81 .2

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 21,357 22,206 23,916 24,429 3,072 14.4

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 57.1 59.3 63.8 65.1 8.1 14.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 19,161 19,254 20,466 21,021 1,860 9.7

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 51.2 51.4 54.6 56.0 4.8 9.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 2,196 2,952 3,450 3,408 1,212 55.2

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,501 2,083 2,533 2,552 1,051 70.1

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 695 868 917 856 160 23.0

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 10.3 13.3 14.4 14.0 3.7 35.7

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 16,067 15,243 13,560 13,076 -2,991 -18.6

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,882 18,893 18,906 18,919 37 .2

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 11,151 11,715 12,604 12,882 1,731 15.5

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 59.1 62.0 66.7 68.1 9.0 15.3

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 9,883 10,047 10,662 10,946 1,064 10.8

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 52.3 53.2 56.4 57.9 5.5 10.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,268 1,668 1,941 1,935 667 52.6

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 935 1,219 1,469 1,483 547 58.5

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 333 449 472 453 120 36.0

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.4 14.2 15.4 15.0 3.7 32.1

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 7,732 7,179 6,302 6,037 -1,694 -21.9

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,542 18,556 18,571 18,587 44 .2

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 10,207 10,491 11,312 11,547 1,341 13.1

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 55.0 56.5 60.9 62.1 7.1 12.9

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 9,278 9,207 9,804 10,075 796 8.6

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 50.0 49.6 52.8 54.2 4.2 8.3

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 928 1,284 1,509 1,473 544 58.6

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 566 864 1,064 1,070 504 89.1

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 362 419 445 403 40 11.1

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 9.1 12.2 13.3 12.8 3.7 40.2

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 8,336 8,065 7,258 7,039 -1,297 -15.6

White

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 28,967 28,980 28,995 29,012 44 .2

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 17,213 17,933 19,453 19,760 2,547 14.8

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 59.4 61.9 67.1 68.1 8.7 14.6

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 15,630 15,806 16,952 17,323 1,692 10.8

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 54.0 54.5 58.5 59.7 5.8 10.7

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,583 2,127 2,501 2,437 854 54.0

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,033 1,463 1,764 1,759 726 70.3

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 550 663 738 678 128 23.3

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 9.2 11.9 12.9 12.3 3.1 34.1

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 11,754 11,047 9,542 9,252 -2,502 -21.3

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 5,572 5,579 5,587 5,595 23 .4

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 2,673 2,778 2,934 3,062 389 14.5

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 48.0 49.8 52.5 54.7 6.7 14.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 2,236 2,174 2,227 2,302 67 3.0

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 40.1 39.0 39.9 41.2 1.0 2.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 437 604 707 760 322 73.7

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 335 470 602 647 312 93.1

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 102 134 105 112 10 10.0

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 16.4 21.8 24.1 24.8 8.4 51.6

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,898 2,801 2,653 2,533 -365 -12.6

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2008 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes1

Number Percent

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 1,489 1,498 1,526 1,516 27 1.8

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 650 693 722 767 118 18.1

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 43.6 46.3 47.3 50.6 7.0 16.0

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 609 624 628 703 94 15.5

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 40.9 41.7 41.1 46.4 5.5 13.4

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 41 69 94 64 23 57.0

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 33 46 57 38 5 13.6

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 8 23 37 26 19 246.8

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 6.3 9.9 13.1 8.4 2.1 32.9

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 839 805 804 748 -91 -10.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 6,622 6,637 6,653 6,669 47 .7

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,800 3,817 3,994 4,007 206 5.4

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 57.4 57.5 60.0 60.1 2.7 4.7

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 3,313 3,310 3,389 3,367 54 1.6

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 50.0 49.9 50.9 50.5 .5 .9

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 487 508 605 639 152 31.2

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 346 376 442 487 140 40.5

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 141 131 163 153 12 8.2

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 12.8 13.3 15.1 16.0 3.1 24.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,821 2,820 2,659 2,662 -159 -5.7

1 Changes are calculated using unrounded data.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for

all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of

any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release

of January data.
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2005-2008

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 2005 2006 2007 2008

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 36,681 36,989 37,443 37,506

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 24,436 24,664 24,339 24,429

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 66.6 66.7 65.0 65.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 21,749 21,914 21,717 21,021

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 59.3 59.2 58.0 56.0

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 2,688 2,750 2,622 3,408

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,916 2,028 1,892 2,552

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 771 722 730 856

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.0 11.2 10.8 14.0

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 12,244 12,324 13,104 13,076

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,501 18,675 18,926 18,919

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 12,871 13,024 12,845 12,882

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 69.6 69.7 67.9 68.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 11,393 11,568 11,421 10,946

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 61.6 61.9 60.3 57.9

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,478 1,456 1,424 1,935

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,077 1,152 1,059 1,483

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 401 303 365 453

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.5 11.2 11.1 15.0

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 5,630 5,651 6,081 6,037

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,180 18,314 18,517 18,587

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 11,566 11,641 11,494 11,547

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 63.6 63.6 62.1 62.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 10,356 10,346 10,296 10,075

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 57.0 56.5 55.6 54.2

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,209 1,295 1,198 1,473

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 839 876 833 1,070

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 370 419 365 403

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 10.5 11.1 10.4 12.8

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 6,614 6,673 7,023 7,039

White

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 28,566 28,736 29,012 29,012

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 19,712 20,002 19,734 19,760

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 69.0 69.6 68.0 68.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 17,944 18,193 17,899 17,323

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 62.8 63.3 61.7 59.7

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,768 1,808 1,835 2,437

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,234 1,289 1,304 1,759

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 533 520 531 678

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 9.0 9.0 9.3 12.3

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 8,854 8,735 9,278 9,252

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 5,317 5,426 5,539 5,595

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,097 3,133 2,998 3,062

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 58.3 57.7 54.1 54.7

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 2,378 2,361 2,382 2,302

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 44.7 43.5 43.0 41.2

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 719 772 616 760

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 544 617 488 647

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 176 155 128 112

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 23.2 24.7 20.5 24.8

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,220 2,293 2,541 2,533

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2005-2008 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 2005 2006 2007 2008

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 1,497 1,474 1,511 1,516

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 794 687 747 767

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 53.1 46.6 49.4 50.6

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 699 631 689 703

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 46.7 42.8 45.6 46.4

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 95 56 58 64

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 58 33 32 38

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 38 23 26 26

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 12.0 8.2 7.7 8.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 702 787 764 748

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 6,335 6,406 6,597 6,669

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,800 3,943 3,928 4,007

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 60.0 61.5 59.5 60.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 3,428 3,534 3,465 3,367

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 54.1 55.2 52.5 50.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 372 409 464 639

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 292 287 341 487

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 80 122 123 153

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 9.8 10.4 11.8 16.0

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,536 2,463 2,669 2,662

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic

or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are

introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2007-2008

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Industry and class of worker

Total White Black or African

American Asian Hispanic or Latinoethnicity

2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008

Total employed ..................................................... 21,717 21,021 17,899 17,323 2,382 2,302 689 703 3,465 3,367

 Agriculture and related industries ....................... 345 418 326 412 4 1 6 1 97 68

 Nonagricultural industries ................................... 21,372 20,604 17,574 16,911 2,377 2,301 683 702 3,368 3,299

 Private wage and salary workers ...................... 19,375 18,601 15,975 15,246 2,107 2,089 625 643 3,070 3,033

 Mining ............................................................. 97 107 91 95 4 4 – 3 10 3

 Construction ................................................... 1,558 1,217 1,439 1,122 56 42 5 9 477 364

 Manufacturing ................................................. 1,398 1,390 1,145 1,171 154 106 71 63 224 296

 Durable goods .............................................. 818 820 655 714 94 50 47 33 71 165

 Nondurable goods ........................................ 580 571 491 457 61 56 23 31 153 131

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 442 371 408 315 26 32 0 7 107 66

 Retail trade ..................................................... 4,242 3,880 3,456 3,119 505 495 132 148 589 566

 Transportation and utilities ............................. 479 464 380 335 71 89 14 10 90 96

 Information ...................................................... 384 369 289 301 49 32 19 19 54 57

 Financial activities .......................................... 980 979 784 806 108 106 57 50 171 179

 Professional and business services ............... 1,672 1,659 1,355 1,355 208 172 62 83 259 281

 Education and health services ........................ 2,238 2,175 1,749 1,645 353 388 69 78 308 227

 Leisure and hospitality .................................... 4,710 4,926 3,861 4,063 490 550 173 127 612 691

 Other services ................................................ 1,174 1,064 1,019 918 82 74 23 46 168 206

 Government ...................................................... 1,607 1,538 1,267 1,247 234 197 50 50 196 169

 Federal ........................................................... 171 182 127 148 25 20 13 2 16 25

 State ............................................................... 505 505 378 385 86 72 21 27 67 56

 Local ............................................................... 930 852 763 714 123 105 16 22 113 88

 Self-employed and unpaid family workers ........ 390 464 332 418 36 15 9 9 102 96

– Dash represents or rounds to zero.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for

all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be

of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.