Technical information:  (202) 691-7410     USDL 04-217
               http://www.bls.gov/nls/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Wednesday, February 18, 2004


         EMPLOYMENT OF TEENAGERS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMER


   In 2001, most older teenagers who worked did so during both the school
year and the summer months; very few worked solely during the summer.  
Sixty-five percent of students who were age 17 at the beginning of the 
2000-01 school year worked at an employee job at some time during both the
school year and the following summer, as did 72 percent of students age 18
and 76 percent of students age 19.
   
   These findings are from the first five annual survey rounds of the
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which is sponsored by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  The survey
includes a nationally representative sample of about 9,000 young men and
women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984.  These respondents were
ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997, and ages 16 to 22 when inter-
viewed for a fifth time in 2001-02.  The survey provides information on 
the employment experiences, schooling, family background, social behavior, 
and other characteristics of these youths.
   
   This release focuses on the employment experiences of these youths,
specifically on "employee jobs," also known as wage and salary jobs, in
which youths have an ongoing formal relationship with a particular employer.  
Highlights from the longitudinal survey include:

  --Over 90 percent of college students age 19 at the beginning of the 2000-
    01 school year worked at an employee job at some time during that academ-
    ic year and following summer, with the vast majority working during both 
    the school year and the summer.
       
  --The top five occupations differ greatly between the sexes but change
    only slightly from school months to summer months.  Occupations also 
    change among age groups; while 9 percent of enrolled male youths age 
    17 on Sept. 1, 2000, were cooks, only 3 percent of enrolled male youths 
    age 19 were cooks.

  --The top five occupations of non-enrolled youths were different from
    those of their enrolled counterparts, and the employment of high school
    dropouts was more concentrated in those top five occupations.  The top 
    five occupations accounted for over half the employment of female 18-year- 
    old high school dropouts, but for only 40 percent of the jobs held by 
    female 18-year-old high school graduates.

  --While few overall differences in weeks worked were apparent by enrollment 
    status, differences did exist by gender and high school completion.  En-
    rolled women consistently averaged more weeks worked per year than non-
    enrolled women, and high school graduates worked more weeks on average than 
    those who had dropped out of school.
   
                                  - 2 -

Youths in Employee Jobs During the 2000-01 School Year and the Following
Summer
   
   Working while in school was common among high school and college students 
during the 2000-01 school year.  (See table 1.)  Employment rates rose from 
77 percent for those who were age 17 at the start of the 2000-01 school year 
to 84 percent for those age 19.  The vast majority of enrolled youths who 
worked between the start of the 2000-01 school year and the start of the next 
school year worked during the school year.  Only a small percentage of youths 
worked exclusively during the summer.  While 65 percent of youths who were age 
17 at the beginning of the school year worked during both the summer and the 
school year, only 9 percent worked during the summer only.  For those age 19 
at the beginning of the school year, 7 percent worked during the summer only.
   
   Enrolled male and female youths were equally likely to have been employed 
and were also equally likely to work only during the summer.  Differences in 
employment among enrolled youths were apparent by race and Hispanic ethnicity 
with non-Hispanic whites more likely to be employed at all ages.  Non-Hispanic 
white youths were more likely to combine schooling and employment then their 
non-Hispanic black or Hispanic counterparts.  For example, among youths age 
17 at the beginning of the school year, 85 percent of non-Hispanic white youths 
worked at some time during the school year compared to 66 percent of non-
Hispanic blacks and 72 percent of Hispanics.  This difference was similar at 
older ages.
   
Top Five Occupations of Enrolled Youths with an Employee Job
   
   The composition of the top five occupations of older enrolled male teens
changed only marginally between the school year and summer and between ages.
Cook and cashier were the most common occupations during both the school
year and following summer for male youths enrolled in school who were age
17 or 18 at the start of the 2000-01 school year while cashier or stock
handler and bagger were the top occupations for those age 19.  The top five
occupations for enrolled females remained unchanged from school year to
summer, and changed only slightly between age 17 and 18 and not at all from
18 to 19.  Even at these comparatively young ages, there was little overlap
in the top five occupations between the sexes.  (See table 2.)
   
   The greater diversity of occupations held by older youths is illustrated
by the percent of enrolled workers employed in the top five occupations.
While over 30 percent of enrolled male youths age 17 at the start of the
school year worked in the top five occupations during the school year, less
than 18 percent of enrolled male youths were employed in the top five
occupations during the school year when age 19.  The occupational mix of
female teens who worked and were enrolled in school changed less dramati-
cally with age.  Forty percent of enrolled female youths age 17 at the start 
of the school year worked in the top five occupations during the school year 
compared to 31 percent of those age 19.
   
                                  - 3 -

Top Five Occupations of Non-Enrolled Youths with an Employee Job
   
   Employment of non-enrolled youths was concentrated in the top five
occupations, especially for dropouts.  Thirty-six percent of male high
school dropouts who were age 19 at the start of the 2000-01 school year
worked in the top five occupations as did 25 percent of high school grad-
uates.  About half of female dropouts who were age 18 or 19 at the start 
of the school year worked in the top five occupations compared to 40 per-
cent of female high school graduates age 18 at the start of the school
year and 30 percent of those age 19 at the start of the school year.  
(See table 3.)
   
   Moreover, the composition of the top five occupations changed depending on
education status.  Among non-enrolled males who were age 18 at the beginning
of the 2000-01 school year, cashier (8.7 percent) was the most common occu-
pation for high school dropouts followed by construction laborer (8.1 per-
cent); however, high school graduates were more likely to be truck drivers (6.8 per-
cent) or automobile mechanics (5.6 percent).  Among non-enrolled males age 
18 in September 2000, there was almost no overlap in occupations between high 
school dropouts and graduates.  The top five occupations for females did not 
change as dramatically depending on enrollment status.  Cashier was the most 
common occupation for non-enrolled female youths regardless of age or educa-
tional attainment.
   
Weeks Employed by Youths While Ages 17, 18, and 19
   
   Older youths are more likely to work more weeks.  Enrolled youths worked
an average of 33 weeks while age 17, that is, between their 17th and 18th
birthdays.  In comparison, enrolled youths worked an average of 36 weeks
while age 19.  (See table 4.)
   
   While overall there were few differences in weeks employed by enrollment
status, differences were apparent for women.  Enrolled women consistently
worked more weeks than their non-enrolled counterparts.  For example, en-
rolled female youths worked an average of 34 weeks per year while age 17
compared to 29 weeks for non-enrolled females.  While age 19, enrolled
female youths averaged 37 weeks of work and non-enrolled females averaged
34 weeks.  Moreover, those with a high school diploma worked more weeks on
average than youths of the same age who had dropped out of school.  Among
non-enrolled youths, high school dropouts averaged 35 weeks of work while
age 19 compared with 41 weeks of work for same-aged high school graduates.
   
   At all ages and regardless of education status, non-Hispanic white youths
worked more weeks per year then their non-Hispanic black counterparts.  How-
ever, non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics worked similar numbers of weeks while 
ages 18 and 19.
 
 
 
 


                                  - 4 -

Technical Note


   The estimates in this release were obtained using data from the first
five rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97).
The NLSY97 is the newest survey in the National Longitudinal Surveys pro-
gram.  The NLSY97 collects extensive information on youths' labor market
behavior and educational experiences.  Information about respondents'
families and communities also is obtained in the survey.
   
   This survey is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the
University of Chicago and the Center for Human Resource Research at The
Ohio State University, under the direction and sponsorship of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.  Partial funding support
for the survey has been provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of
Vocational and Adult Education of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S.
Department of Defense, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Sample

   The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 is a nationally represen-
tative sample of 8,984 young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on Decem-
ber 31, 1996.  This sample is composed of two subsamples:
   
   --A cross-sectional sample designed to represent the noninstitutionalized, 
     civilian segment of young people living in the U.S. in 1997 and born be-
     tween January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1984.
   
   --A supplemental sample of youths designed to oversample Hispanic and black 
     youths living in the U.S. in 1997 and born between January 1, 1980, and 
     December 31, 1984.
     
   The fifth round of annual interviews took place between November 1, 2001, 
and May 1, 2002, and all results are weighted using the fifth-round survey 
weights that correct for oversampling and nonresponse.  When weighted, the 
data represent all Americans living in the U.S. in 1997 and born in the years 
1980 to 1984.  Not represented by the survey are U.S. immigrants who were 
born from 1980 to 1984 and moved to the United States after 1997.
 
   Sample size varies both between and within tables.  For example, in
table 4, to be included in the section "While age 17," which refers to the
entire year between an individual's 17th and 18th birthdays, a youth needs
to have reached his or her 18th birthday.  To be included in the "Age 17"
category in table 2, a youth must be 17 by September 1, 2000, and will reach
their 18th birthday during the 2000-01 school year.

                                  - 5 -

Interaction between time and age in a longitudinal survey

   Because the NLSY97 is a longitudinal survey, meaning the same people
are surveyed over time, the ages of the respondents change with each sur-
vey round.  It is important to keep in mind this inherent link between the
calendar years and the ages of the respondents.  For example, table 4 reports 
weeks worked by age for the ages of 17, 18, and 19.  The youngest respondents 
in the sample (birth year 1984) were these ages during 2000-02, whereas the 
oldest respondents (birth year 1980) were these ages from 1997-2001.  Some 
respondents may not be used in all tables as they are not old enough.
 
Definitions
     
   Employment.  Respondents are classified as employed if they did any
work as paid employees.  This excludes youths who worked in their own
businesses (self employed), or unpaid work at a family business.
   
   Age categories.  "While age x" refers to the entire year between
birthday "x" and the following birthday.  The estimates shown in this
release for each age category exclude respondents who had not yet reached
their next birthday at the time of the interview--and thus were not able 
to provide the full year's worth of information for that age.  For example,
"While age 17" refers to the entire year between an individual's 17th and
18th birthdays.  The category excludes individuals who had not yet turned
age 18 at the time of the interview.
   
   2000-01 school year and following summer.  The school term is defined 
as the period from September 2000 through May 2001.  The summer is composed 
of June, July, and August of 2001.
   
   Enrolled.  Individuals were not considered enrolled if they were not
enrolled for a period of 3 or more consecutive months during the school
year.  If an individual was enrolled during the 2000-01 school year, and
then also enrolled in school the following September or October, they were
considered "enrolled" during the summer and included in both the school
year and summer portions of table 2.  If they were enrolled during the 2000-
01 school year but not enrolled in the following September or October,
they would be included in the school year sample of table 2, but not the
summer sample.  The samples in tables 2 and 3 are mutually exclusive.
   
   Race and ethnic groups.  In this release, the findings are reported for
non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics.  These groups are
mutually exclusive but not exhaustive.  Other groups, which are included in
the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation
in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically
reliable estimates.  In other BLS publications, estimates are published for
whites, blacks, and Hispanics, but these groups usually are not mutually
exclusive.  The term "Hispanic" is considered to be an ethnic group, and
Hispanics can be of any race.  Most other BLS publications include estimates 
for Hispanics in the white and black race groups in addition to the Hispanic 
ethnic group.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory-impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-7410; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.
   
 
 
Table 1.  Percent of enrolled youths with an employee job during the 2000-01 school year and the
following summer by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, grade in school, and timing of employment 
                    
                                Percent of     Percent who worked during the school year   
                               students who                                            Percent who
Age as of September 1, 2000,   ever worked             Worked during   Worked during  worked during
    and characteristic          during the      Total   school year     school year    summer only  
                              school year or             and summer        only
                             following summer                
                            
     Total, age 17...........      86.0          76.6       65.3           11.3             9.3
                    
Male youths..................      87.0          77.4       66.6           10.8             9.6
Female youths................      84.6          75.7       63.7           12.1             8.9
                    
White non-Hispanic...........      91.6          84.6       75.4            9.2             7.0
Black non-Hispanic...........      77.6          65.6       52.3           13.3            12.0
Hispanic origin .............      83.1          71.7       57.1           14.5            11.5
                     
Grade 11.....................      82.7          70.2       55.4           14.5            12.5    
Grade 12.....................      88.7          79.6       69.4           10.2             9.1
                          
     Total, age 18...........      87.6          80.7       71.7            9.0             6.9 
                    
Male youths..................      85.9          79.0       69.0           10.0             7.0    
Female youths................      89.9          83.0       75.3            7.7             6.9
                    
White non-Hispanic...........      93.1          88.0       81.8            6.2             5.1      
Black non-Hispanic...........      79.7          68.2       57.4           10.9            11.5
Hispanic origin .............      84.0          78.1       65.7           12.4             5.9
                    
Grade 12.....................      81.6          73.9       64.4            9.5             7.7   
Freshman in college..........      92.6          85.7       77.6            8.1             6.9
                        
     Total, age 19...........      91.2          84.3       76.4            7.9             6.9        
                        
Male youths..................      88.6          80.5       73.8            6.7             8.1       
Female youths................      93.6          87.8       78.8            9.0             5.8
                    
White non-Hispanic...........      93.6          88.4       82.2            6.1             5.2  
Black non-Hispanic...........      87.8          77.2       64.4           12.9            10.6
Hispanic origin .............      87.9          80.4       73.5            6.9             7.5
                    
Freshman in college..........      90.0          81.8       73.5            8.4             8.2
Sophomore in college.........      92.8          86.4       77.9            8.5             6.4
                    

  NOTE:  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages
12 to 16 on December 31, 1996.  Race and Hispanic-origin groups are mutually exclusive but not 
exhaustive.  Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately
because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically
reliable estimates.  The school year is defined as September 2000 through May 2001, excluding the 
last full week of December 2000 and the first week of January 2001.  Summer is defined as June,
July, and August of 2001.                 
                    
 
 
 

Table 2.  Top five occupations of enrolled youths with an employee job
during the 2000-01 school year and the following summer by sex and age     
		
        Sex, age as of September 1, 2000,                   Percent of
                    and occupation                           employed                      
              
                  Male youths - Age 17
                  
School year, top five occupations ........................     31.5
  Cooks ..................................................      9.1
  Cashiers ...............................................      7.4
  Stock handlers and baggers .............................      6.6
  Construction laborers ..................................      4.4
  Janitors and cleaners ..................................      3.9

Summer, top five occupations .............................     32.8
  Cooks ..................................................      8.6
  Cashiers ...............................................      8.3
  Stock handlers and baggers .............................      7.5
  Sales workers, other commodities .......................      4.6
  Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ..............      3.9
		
                Female youths - Age 17
                
School year, top five occupations ........................     40.3
  Cashiers ...............................................     17.6
  Sales workers, other commodities .......................      7.1
  Waiters and waitresses .................................      6.1
  General office clerks ..................................      5.2
  Supervisors, food preparation and service occupations ..      4.4

Summer, top five occupations .............................     40.2
  Cashiers ...............................................     16.4
  Sales workers, other commodities .......................      8.3
  Waiters and waitresses .................................      6.3
  General office clerks ..................................      5.3
  Supervisors, food preparation and service occupations ..      3.9
	
                  Male youths - Age 18
                  
School year, top five occupations ........................     24.2
  Cooks ..................................................      7.1
  Construction laborers ..................................      4.9
  Cashiers ...............................................      4.9
  Janitors and cleaners ..................................      4.0
  Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ..............      3.3
Summer, top five occupations .............................     22.1
  Cooks ..................................................      6.5
  Cashiers ...............................................      4.6
  Janitors and cleaners ..................................      3.7
  Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ..............      3.7
  Construction laborers ..................................      3.6
		
                Female youths - Age 18
                
School year, top five occupations .........................    38.0
  Cashiers ................................................    15.6
  Sales workers, other commodities ........................     7.0
  Waiters and waitresses ..................................     6.8
  General office clerks ...................................     4.6
  Receptionists ...........................................     4.1

Summer, top five occupations ..............................    38.7
  Cashiers ................................................    15.5
  Sales workers, other commodities ........................     7.3
  Waiters and waitresses ..................................     6.5
  General office clerks ...................................     4.5
  Receptionists ...........................................     4.5
		
                  Male youths - Age 19   
                  
School year, top five occupations .........................    17.5
  Cashiers ................................................     4.1
  Stock handlers and baggers ..............................     4.0
  Managers and administrators, not elsewhere classified ...     3.3
  Cooks ...................................................     3.2
  Groundskeepers and gardeners except farm ................     2.9

Summer, top five occupations ..............................    16.6
  Stock handlers and baggers ..............................     4.1
  Cashiers ................................................     3.9
  Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ...............     3.1
  Guards and police, except public service ................     2.8
  Managers and administrators, not elsewhere classified ...     2.7
	
                 Female youths - Age 19
                 
School year, top five occupations .........................    31.3
  Cashiers ................................................     9.1
  Waiters and waitresses ..................................     7.1
  General office clerks ...................................     5.2
  Sales workers, other commodities ........................     5.1
  Receptionists ...........................................     4.7
	
Summer, top five occupations ..............................    31.4
  Cashiers ................................................     8.3
  Waiters and waitresses ..................................     7.2
  General office clerks ...................................     5.8
  Sales workers, other commodities ........................     5.2
  Receptionists ...........................................     4.9

  NOTE:  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of 
young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996.  
The school year is defined as September 2000 through May 2001, 
excluding the last full week of December 2000 and the first week 
of January 2001.  Summer is defined as June, July, and August of
2001.
 
 
 
 

Table 3.  Top five occupations of non-enrolled youths with an employee job 
during the 2000-01 school year and the following summer by sex, age, and
high school graduation status           
		
         Sex, age as of September 1, 2000, occupation,          Percent of
            and high school graduation status                    employed        

                      Male youths - Age 18
                      
High school dropouts, top five occupations ...................    35.7  
  Cashiers ...................................................     8.7  
  Construction laborers ......................................     8.1  
  Farm workers ...............................................     6.7  
  Laborers, except construction ..............................     6.7  
  Industrial machinery repairers .............................     5.6  
 
High school graduates, top five occupations ..................    27.4  
  Truck drivers ..............................................     6.8  
  Automobile mechanics .......................................     5.6  
  Stock handlers and baggers .................................     5.3  
  Construction laborers ......................................     5.2
  Guards and police, except public service ...................     4.6


                      Female youths - Age 18

High school dropouts, top five occupations ...................    51.6
  Cashiers ...................................................    14.3
  Waiters and waitresses .....................................    12.7
  Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ...................    11.6
  Stock handlers and baggers .................................     7.7
  Miscellaneous food preparation .............................     5.2

High school graduates, top five occupations ..................    40.3
  Cashiers ...................................................    17.8
  Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ...................     7.9
  Receptionists ..............................................     5.5
  Sales workers, other commodities ...........................     4.8
  Waiters and waitresses .....................................     4.2

                      Male youths - Age 19
                      
High school dropouts, top five occupations ...................    36.4
  Construction laborers ......................................    11.1
  Laborers, except construction ..............................     8.0
  Cooks ......................................................     7.0
  Janitors and cleaners ......................................     6.1
  Painters, construction and maintenance .....................     4.1

High school graduates, top five occupations ..................    24.5
  Construction laborers  .....................................     6.3
  Cooks  .....................................................     5.8
  Laborers, except construction ..............................     4.3
  Stock handlers and baggers .................................     4.2
  Industrial truck and tractor equipment operators ...........     3.8

                      Female youths - Age 19

High school dropouts, top five occupations ...................    47.1  
  Cashiers ...................................................    16.1  
  Receptionists ..............................................    13.1  
  Managers, food serving and lodging establishments ..........     6.4  
  Food counter, fountain and related occupations .............     6.4  
  File clerks ................................................     5.2  

High school graduates, top five occupations ..................    30.2  
  Cashiers ...................................................    12.1  
  Receptionists ..............................................     5.9  
  Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants ...................     5.0  
  Sales workers, other commodities ...........................     4.2  
  Sales counter clerks .......................................     3.0  
   
  NOTE:  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young
men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996.  The school 
year is defined as September 2000 through May 2001, excluding the last 
full week of December 2000 and the first week of January 2001.  Summer
is defined as June, July, and August of 2001.  A high school graduate may
have attended college.
 
 
 
 

Table 4.  Average number of weeks worked by youths with an employee job 
ages 17 to 19 in 1997-2002 by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and
enrollment status               
		
Age in 1997-2002 and characteristic            Continuously    Continuously
						 enrolled       non-enrolled
		
      Total, while age 17 ..................      32.9             30.5

Male youths ................................      32.3             31.6
Female youths ..............................      33.8             29.1
		
White non-Hispanic .........................      36.1             33.5
Black non-Hispanic .........................      28.4             27.6
Hispanic origin ............................      29.2             25.9

High school dropouts .......................       --              30.1
High school graduates ......................       (1)              (1)
		
      Total, while age 18 ..................      33.5             33.1
		
Male youths ................................      32.9             34.7
Female youths ..............................      34.3             31.1
		
White non-Hispanic .........................      35.2             35.5
Black non-Hispanic .........................      29.3             29.9
Hispanic origin ............................      34.5             32.5
		
High school dropouts .......................       --              31.2
High school graduates ......................      33.6             38.4
		
      Total, while age 19 ..................      36.4             36.2
		
Male youths ................................      36.2             38.0
Female youths ..............................      36.7             33.8
		
White non-Hispanic .........................      37.5             38.2
Black non-Hispanic .........................      32.8             31.6
Hispanic origin ............................      38.6             37.8
		
High school dropouts .......................       --              34.6
High school graduates ......................      36.4             40.5

  1  A small number of youths report graduating from high school before 
their 17th birthday.  
		
  NOTE:  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young 
men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996.  Race and His-
panic-origin groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive.  Other race 
groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately 
because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large 
to provide statistically reliable estimates.  A high school graduate may 
have attended or be attending college.