TEXT
Table 1.  Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, April-July 1995
Table 2.  Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, July 1991-95
Table 3.  Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1994-95


Technical information:  (202) 606-6378         USDL 95-372
                              606-6373
 
Media contact:                606-5902         For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
                                               Friday, September 15, 1995
 
 
           EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 1995
 
     The number of employed youth increased by 2.6 million between April
and July--the summertime peak, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today.  This seasonal expansion in employment
of 16- to 24-year-olds was slightly smaller than that of a year earlier.
The number of unemployed young people also rose between the spring and
summer--by 645,000.  The unemployment rate for young people in July was the
same as a year earlier--12.7 percent.  (Because the focus of this analysis
is the seasonal change in youth employment and unemployment, the data used
for this release are not adjusted for seasonality.)
 
Labor Force
 
     Between April and July each year, the number of 16- to 24-year-olds in
the labor force--those working or actively looking for work--expands
sharply, as large numbers of high school and college students search for
summer jobs and recent graduates look for permanent employment.  This
summer, the increase of 3.3 million was about the same magnitude as in
1994, bringing the youth labor force to 24.1 million in July.  (See
table 1.)
 
     The labor force participation rate for young men in July--the
proportion of their population in the labor force--was 79.3 percent, half a
percentage point higher than the July 1994 level.  The rate for young women
(69.3 percent) was little different from a year earlier.  (See table 2.)
 
Employment
 
     The number of youth employed grew by 2.6 million between April and
July of 1995 to a level of 21.0 million.  This increase was about 320,000
lower than that in the summer of 1994.  (See table 1.)
 
      ------------------------------------------------------------
     |    NOTE:  This release provides data on the influx of      |
     |youth into the labor market between the spring and summer   |
     |(table 1).  The April-July period is used as the most       |
     |representative time frame to measure the full summertime    |
     |transition from school to work.  July is preferable for     |
     |analytical purposes, since it is traditionally the peak     |
     |month of youth employment.                                  |
     |    Information in this release will be made available to   |
     |sensory impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone:    |
     |202-606-STAT; TDD phone: 202-606-5897; TDD message referral |
     |phone: 1-800-326-2577.                                      |
      ------------------------------------------------------------
 
                              - 2 -
 
     Overall, the proportion of young people in the civilian population who
were employed--64.9 percent in July--was little different from a year
earlier.  Among young men, however, the ratio of 69.6 percent was 1.1
percentage points higher than last year, while the 60.1 percent figure for
young women was 0.7 percentage point lower.  Employment-population ratios
this July were notably lower than a year ago among black youth (down 1.7
percentage points to 46.1 percent) and little different for white youth
(69.3 percent).  (See table 2.)  As in prior years, the vast majority of
youth this July--nearly 9 in 10--worked in the private sector, with about 6
in 10 working in the retail trade and services industries.  (See table 3.)
 
Unemployment
 
     The number of unemployed youth in July (3.1  million) and their
unemployment rate (12.7 percent) were the same as the year before.  (See
table 2.)  In contrast, the jobless rate for persons 25 years and over was
about half a percentage point lower.  Among youth, the unemployment rates
were lower in July than a year earlier for men and whites, but were higher
among women and blacks.
 
  Table 1.  Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, April-July 1995
 
   (Numbers in thousands.  Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
 
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                     |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |   April-July changes
            Employment status, sex, and race         |   April    |    May     |    June    |    July    |
                                                                                                          _________________________
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |   Number   |  Percent
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                         TOTAL
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
    Civilian noninstitutional population.............|   32,335   |   32,359   |   32,434   |   32,436   |      101   |     0.3
      Civilian labor force...........................|   20,831   |   21,141   |   23,455   |   24,102   |    3,271   |    15.7
            Participation rate.......................|     64.4   |     65.3   |     72.3   |     74.3   |      9.9   |    15.4
        Employed.....................................|   18,414   |   18,543   |   20,366   |   21,041   |    2,627   |    14.3
            Employment-population ratio 1/...........|     56.9   |     57.3   |     62.8   |     64.9   |      8.0   |    14.1
        Unemployed...................................|    2,417   |    2,598   |    3,089   |    3,062   |      645   |    26.7
          Looking for full-time work.................|    1,493   |    1,731   |    2,252   |    2,273   |      780   |    52.2
          Looking for part-time work.................|      924   |      867   |      838   |      789   |     -135   |   -14.6
          Unemployment rate..........................|     11.6   |     12.3   |     13.2   |     12.7   |      1.1   |     9.5
      Not in labor force.............................|   11,504   |   11,217   |    8,979   |    8,334   |   -3,170   |   -27.6
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                          Men
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
    Civilian noninstitutional population.............|   16,166   |   16,184   |   16,250   |   16,246   |       80   |      .5
      Civilian labor force...........................|   11,023   |   11,204   |   12,504   |   12,884   |    1,861   |    16.9
            Participation rate.......................|     68.2   |     69.2   |     76.9   |     79.3   |     11.1   |    16.3
        Employed.....................................|    9,706   |    9,791   |   10,881   |   11,311   |    1,605   |    16.5
            Employment-population ratio 1/...........|     60.0   |     60.5   |     67.0   |     69.6   |      9.6   |    16.0
        Unemployed...................................|    1,317   |    1,413   |    1,623   |    1,573   |      256   |    19.4
          Looking for full-time work.................|      885   |    1,000   |    1,250   |    1,219   |      334   |    37.7
          Looking for part-time work.................|      432   |      413   |      374   |      354   |      -78   |   -18.1
          Unemployment rate..........................|     11.9   |     12.6   |     13.0   |     12.2   |       .3   |     2.5
      Not in labor force.............................|    5,143   |    4,980   |    3,746   |    3,363   |   -1,780   |   -34.6
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                         Women
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
    Civilian noninstitutional population.............|   16,169   |   16,175   |   16,184   |   16,190   |       21   |      .1
      Civilian labor force...........................|    9,808   |    9,937   |   10,951   |   11,219   |    1,411   |    14.4
            Participation rate.......................|     60.7   |     61.4   |     67.7   |     69.3   |      8.6   |    14.2
        Employed.....................................|    8,708   |    8,752   |    9,485   |    9,730   |    1,022   |    11.7
            Employment-population ratio 1/...........|     53.9   |     54.1   |     58.6   |     60.1   |      6.2   |    11.5
        Unemployed...................................|    1,100   |    1,185   |    1,466   |    1,489   |      389   |    35.4
          Looking for full-time work.................|      608   |      732   |    1,002   |    1,054   |      446   |    73.4
          Looking for part-time work.................|      492   |      454   |      464   |      435   |      -57   |    11.6
          Unemployment rate..........................|     11.2   |     11.9   |     13.4   |     13.3   |      2.1   |    18.8
      Not in labor force.............................|    6,361   |    6,238   |    5,233   |    4,971   |   -1,390   |   -21.9
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                         White
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
    Civilian noninstitutional population.............|   25,825   |   25,808   |   25,798   |   25,777   |      -48   |     -.2
      Civilian labor force...........................|   17,415   |   17,670   |   19,463   |   19,890   |    2,475   |    14.2
            Participation rate.......................|     67.4   |     68.5   |     75.4   |     77.2   |      9.8   |    14.5
        Employed.....................................|   15,690   |   15,811   |   17,353   |   17,876   |    2,186   |    13.9
            Employment-population ratio 1/...........|     60.8   |     61.3   |     67.3   |     69.3   |      8.5   |    14.0
        Unemployed...................................|    1,725   |    1,859   |    2,110   |    2,014   |      289   |    16.8
          Looking for full-time work.................|    1,067   |    1,206   |    1,497   |    1,454   |      387   |    36.3
          Looking for part-time work.................|      658   |      653   |      613   |      559   |      -99   |   -15.0
          Unemployment rate..........................|      9.9   |     10.5   |     10.8   |     10.1   |       .2   |     2.0
      Not in labor force.............................|    8,410   |    8,138   |    6,336   |    5,887   |   -2,523   |   -30.0
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                         Black
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
    Civilian noninstitutional population.............|    4,844   |    4,826   |    4,832   |    4,834   |      -10   |     -.2
      Civilian labor force...........................|    2,533   |    2,562   |    2,967   |    3,083   |      550   |    21.7
            Participation rate.......................|     52.3   |     53.1   |     61.4   |     63.8   |     11.5   |    22.0
        Employed.....................................|    1,981   |    1,938   |    2,139   |    2,230   |      249   |    12.6
            Employment-population ratio 1/...........|     40.9   |     40.1   |     44.3   |     46.1   |      5.2   |    12.7
        Unemployed...................................|      553   |      625   |      828   |      852   |      299   |    54.1
          Looking for full-time work.................|      348   |      444   |      649   |      667   |      319   |    91.7
          Looking for part-time work.................|      205   |      180   |      178   |      186   |      -19   |    -9.3
          Unemployment rate..........................|     21.8   |     24.4   |     27.9   |     27.7   |      5.9   |    27.1
      Not in labor force.............................|    2,311   |    2,264   |    1,865   |    1,751   |     -560   |   -24.2
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
      1/  Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
 
 
 
 Table 2.  Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, July 1991-95
 
  (Numbers in thousands.  Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
 
  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
           Employment status, sex, and race         |     1991      |     1992      |     1993      |     1994      |     1995
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                        TOTAL
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
   Civilian noninstitutional population.............|     31,172    |     30,880    |     30,814    |     32,579    |     32,436
     Civilian labor force...........................|     22,975    |     23,076    |     22,987    |     24,132    |     24,102
           Participation rate.......................|       73.7    |       74.7    |       74.6    |       74.1    |       74.3
       Employed.....................................|     19,822    |     19,745    |     19,947    |     21,068    |     21,041
           Employment-population ratio 1/...........|       63.6    |       63.9    |       64.7    |       64.7    |       64.9
       Unemployed...................................|      3,152    |      3,331    |      3,039    |      3,064    |      3,062
         Looking for full-time work.................|      2,302    |      2,360    |      2,252    |      2,339    |      2,273
         Looking for part-time work.................|        850    |        971    |        788    |        725    |        789
         Unemployment rate..........................|       13.7    |       14.4    |       13.2    |       12.7    |       12.7
     Not in labor force.............................|      8,198    |      7,803    |      7,828    |      8,447    |      8,334
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                         Men
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
   Civilian noninstitutional population.............|     15,443    |     15,302    |     15,298    |     16,292    |     16,246
     Civilian labor force...........................|     12,294    |     12,205    |     12,148    |     12,836    |     12,884
           Participation rate.......................|       79.6    |       79.8    |       79.4    |       78.8    |       79.3
       Employed.....................................|     10,580    |     10,433    |     10,491    |     11,159    |     11,311
           Employment-population ratio 1/...........|       68.5    |       68.2    |       68.6    |       68.5    |       69.6
       Unemployed...................................|      1,714    |      1,772    |      1,657    |      1,676    |      1,573
         Looking for full-time work.................|      1,316    |      1,291    |      1,263    |      1,320    |      1,219
         Looking for part-time work.................|        399    |        480    |        394    |        356    |        354
         Unemployment rate..........................|       13.9    |       14.5    |       13.6    |       13.1    |       12.2
     Not in labor force.............................|      3,149    |      3,097    |      3,150    |      3,456    |      3,363
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                        Women
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
   Civilian noninstitutional population.............|     15,729    |     15,577    |     15,516    |     16,287    |     16,190
     Civilian labor force...........................|     10,680    |     10,871    |     10,839    |     11,297    |     11,219
           Participation rate.......................|       67.9    |       69.8    |       69.9    |       69.4    |       69.3
       Employed.....................................|      9,243    |      9,312    |      9,456    |      9,909    |      9,730
           Employment-population ratio 1/...........|       58.8    |       59.8    |       60.9    |       60.8    |       60.1
       Unemployed...................................|      1,438    |      1,559    |      1,383    |      1,388    |      1,489
         Looking for full-time work.................|        986    |      1,068    |        989    |      1,019    |      1,054
         Looking for part-time work.................|        451    |        491    |        394    |        368    |        435
         Unemployment rate..........................|       13.5    |       14.3    |       12.8    |       12.3    |       13.3
     Not in labor force.............................|      5,049    |      4,706    |      4,677    |      4,990    |      4,971
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                        White
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
   Civilian noninstitutional population.............|     25,339    |     24,991    |     24,866    |     25,963    |     25,777
     Civilian labor force...........................|     19,482    |     19,400    |     19,249    |     20,048    |     19,890
           Participation rate.......................|       76.9    |       77.6    |       77.4    |       77.2    |       77.2
       Employed.....................................|     17,131    |     17,081    |     17,144    |     17,928    |     17,876
           Employment-population ratio 1/...........|       67.6    |       68.3    |       68.9    |       69.1    |       69.3
       Unemployed...................................|      2,350    |      2,319    |      2,105    |      2,120    |      2,014
         Looking for full-time work.................|      1,705    |      1,612    |      1,560    |      1,596    |      1,454
         Looking for part-time work.................|        646    |        707    |        545    |        524    |        559
         Unemployment rate..........................|       12.1    |       12.0    |       10.9    |       10.6    |       10.1
     Not in labor force.............................|      5,857    |      5,591    |      5,616    |      5,915    |      5,887
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
                        Black
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
   Civilian noninstitutional population.............|      4,568    |      4,568    |      4,585    |      4,826    |      4,834
     Civilian labor force...........................|      2,743    |      2,888    |      2,907    |      3,073    |      3,083
           Participation rate.......................|       60.0    |       63.2    |       63.4    |       63.7    |       63.8
       Employed.....................................|      2,034    |      2,010    |      2,120    |      2,309    |      2,230
           Employment-population ratio 1/...........|       44.5    |       44.0    |       46.2    |       47.8    |       46.1
       Unemployed...................................|        708    |        878    |        787    |        764    |        852
         Looking for full-time work.................|        538    |        670    |        611    |        634    |        667
         Looking for part-time work.................|        171    |        208    |        176    |        130    |        186
         Unemployment rate..........................|       25.8    |       30.4    |       27.1    |       24.9    |       27.7
     Not in labor force.............................|      1,825    |      1,679    |      1,678    |      1,753    |      1,751
                                                    |               |               |               |               |
  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
    1/ Employment as a percent of the civilian                       information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey
  noninstitutional population.                                       Effective January 1994" in the February 1994 issue of
    NOTE:  Data for 1994 and 1995 are not directly comparable        Employment and Earnings.
  with data for 1993 and earlier years.  For additional
 
 
  Table 3.  Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1994-95
 
   (In thousands.  Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
 
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                     |                         |                         |
                                                     |          Total          |          White          |          Black
             Industry and class of workere           |                         |                         |
                                                      _________________________ _________________________ _________________________
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
                                                     |    1994    |    1995    |    1994    |    1995    |    1994    |    1995
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
         Total employed..............................|   21,068   |   21,041   |   17,928   |   17,876   |    2,309   |    2,230
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
     Agriculture.....................................|      732   |      882   |      685   |      831   |       42   |       17
     Nonagricultural industries......................|   20,336   |   20,159   |   17,244   |   17,044   |    2,267   |    2,214
       Private wage and salary workers...............|   18,147   |   18,131   |   15,528   |   15,412   |    1,890   |    1,913
         Mining......................................|       55   |       42   |       44   |       39   |        8   |        2
         Construction................................|    1,035   |    1,157   |      940   |    1,064   |       58   |       60
         Manufacturing...............................|    2,240   |    2,274   |    1,926   |    1,876   |      208   |      247
         Transportation and public utilities.........|      664   |      701   |      575   |      569   |       64   |      105
         Wholesale trade.............................|      626   |      613   |      548   |      547   |       53   |       43
         Retail trade................................|    7,278   |    7,224   |    6,222   |    6,119   |      783   |      806
         Finance, insurance, and real estate.........|      938   |      894   |      799   |      735   |      100   |      109
         Services....................................|    5,311   |    5,228   |    4,474   |    4,463   |      616   |      540
       Government....................................|    1,673   |    1,559   |    1,262   |    1,223   |      328   |      269
         Federal.....................................|      255   |      204   |      164   |      141   |       63   |       45
         State.......................................|      547   |      478   |      425   |      355   |       96   |      104
         Local.......................................|      872   |      877   |      673   |      727   |      168   |      119
       Self-employed and unpaid family workers.......|      516   |      468   |      454   |      410   |       49   |       32
                                                     |            |            |            |            |            |
   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________