Internet address:  http://stat.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information:  (202)  606-6378  USDL 98-386

                                         For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                 606-5902  Tuesday, September 22, 1998


           EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH--SUMMER 1998

   
   The number of employed youth increased by 2.5 million from April to
July, the traditional summertime peak for youth employment, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This
year's seasonal expansion in employment of 16- to 24-year-olds was lower
than in the preceding summer.  The number of unemployed youth also rose as
it typically does at this time of the year, growing by 702,000 between the
spring and summer.  (Because the focus of this analysis is the seasonal
changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and
summer, the data are not adjusted for seasonal variations.)
   
Labor Force

   The 16- to 24-year-old labor force--those working or actively looking
for work--grows sharply between April and July of each year, as large
numbers of high school and college students search for summer jobs and many
recent graduates look for permanent employment.  This summer, the youth
labor force rose by 3.2 million, to a total of 24.2 million in July.  This
was in line with the increase that occurred over the same period during the
preceding four summers.  (See table 1.)
   
   The proportion of the youth population working or looking for work--the
group's labor force participation rate--was 72.8 percent in July, about the
same as last year.  The participation rate for black youth (64.4 percent)
was higher than a year earlier, while the rates for young men (76.3
percent), women (69.3 percent), and whites (75.3 percent) were little
different from those in 1997.  (See table 2.)
   
Employment

   A total of 21.6 million youth were employed this July, 64.9 percent of
their population.  This ratio has remained within a fairly narrow range
during the 1990s.  The employment-to-population ratio for young women (62.0
percent in July), has grown since the mid-1990s, while the rate for young
men (67.8 percent) has declined during the same period.  The employment-to-
population ratios for white and black youth have shown little or no
movement since the mid-1990s.  (See table 2.)
   
   About 7 in 8 employed youth were wage and salary workers in the private
sector this summer, with retail trade (7.4 million) and services (5.8
million) the largest employers.  There also were sizable numbers of youth
employed in manufacturing and construction.  Government employed a total of
1.5 million young people in July.  Nearly 3 in 5 of the young people with
government jobs were employed in local governments.  About 11 percent of
black and 6 percent of white youth worked in government.  (See table 3.)
   
                                  - 2 -

Unemployment

   About 2.6 million 16- to 24-year-olds were unemployed this July--that
is, they were not working, were actively looking for work, and were
available to take a job.  The youth unemployment rate was 10.8 percent.
Jobless rates were 11.2 percent for young men, 10.4 percent for young
women, 8.4 percent for white youth, and 24.8 percent for black youth.  The
summer jobless rates for these demographic groups have declined since the
mid-1990s.  (See table 2.)
Technical Note
     
     
     The estimates in this release were obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of 50,000 households
conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the Bureau of
the Census.  The data in this release relate to the employment status of
youth (16- to 24-year-old) 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
traditionally the peak summer month of youth employment.
     
     Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation
procedures and revised population controls used in the household survey.
For additional information, see "Revisions in the Current Population Survey
Effective January 1998" in the February 1998 issue of Employment and
Earnings.
     
     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.
     
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 the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of
Employment and Earnings.
     
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 population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, April-July 1998

     (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...................   33,108    33,149    33,232    33,266       158       0.5    
       Civilian labor force.................................   20,984    21,626    23,671    24,225     3,241      15.4 
             Participation rate.............................     63.4      65.2      71.2      72.8       9.4      14.9 
         Employed...........................................   19,059    19,372    20,866    21,599     2,539      13.3 
             Employment-population ratio (1)................     57.6      58.4      62.8      64.9       7.4      12.8 
         Unemployed.........................................    1,925     2,254     2,805     2,626       702      36.5 
           Looking for full-time work.......................    1,227     1,582     2,046     1,910       683      55.7 
           Looking for part-time work.......................      698       672       759       716        18       2.6 
           Unemployment rate................................      9.2      10.4      11.8      10.8       1.7      18.2 
       Not in labor force...................................   12,124    11,522     9,561     9,041    -3,083     -25.4 
                                                                                                                        
                               Men                                                                                      
                                                                                                                        
     Civilian noninstitutional population...................   16,660    16,712    16,772    16,779       119        .7 
       Civilian labor force.................................   10,949    11,311    12,495    12,807     1,858      17.0 
             Participation rate.............................     65.7      67.7      74.5      76.3      10.6      16.1 
         Employed...........................................    9,904    10,069    11,028    11,370     1,467      14.8 
             Employment-population ratio (1)................     59.4      60.3      65.8      67.8       8.3      14.0 
         Unemployed.........................................    1,045     1,242     1,467     1,436       391      37.4 
           Looking for full-time work.......................      686       927     1,078     1,083       397      58.0 
           Looking for part-time work.......................      359       314       388       353        -6      -1.7 
           Unemployment rate................................      9.5      11.0      11.7      11.2       1.7      17.5 
       Not in labor force...................................    5,712     5,401     4,277     3,973    -1,739     -30.4 
                                                                                                                        
                              Women                                                                                     
                                                                                                                        
     Civilian noninstitutional population...................   16,448    16,437    16,460    16,487        39        .2 
       Civilian labor force.................................   10,035    10,315    11,176    11,418     1,383      13.8 
             Participation rate.............................     61.0      62.8      67.9      69.3       8.2      13.5 
         Employed...........................................    9,156     9,303     9,838    10,228     1,073      11.7 
             Employment-population ratio (1)................     55.7      56.6      59.8      62.0       6.4      11.5 
         Unemployed.........................................      880     1,012     1,338     1,190       310      35.3 
           Looking for full-time work.......................      542       655       968       827       286      52.8 
           Looking for part-time work.......................      338       357       371       363        24       7.2 
           Unemployment rate................................      8.8       9.8      12.0      10.4       1.7      18.9 
       Not in labor force...................................    6,412     6,122     5,284     5,068    -1,344     -21.0 
                                                                                                                        
                              White                                                                                     
                                                                                                                        
     Civilian noninstitutional population...................   26,471    26,514    26,562    26,606       134        .5 
       Civilian labor force.................................   17,505    18,122    19,636    20,028     2,523      14.4 
             Participation rate.............................     66.1      68.4      73.9      75.3       9.1      13.8 
         Employed...........................................   16,133    16,520    17,628    18,343     2,210      13.7 
             Employment-population ratio (1)................     60.9      62.3      66.4      68.9       8.0      13.1 
         Unemployed.........................................    1,372     1,602     2,008     1,685       313      22.8 
           Looking for full-time work.......................      849     1,096     1,419     1,178       329      38.8 
           Looking for part-time work.......................      523       506       589       507       -16      -3.1 
           Unemployment rate................................      7.8       8.8      10.2       8.4        .6       7.3 
       Not in labor force...................................    8,966     8,391     6,926     6,578    -2,388     -26.6 
                                                                                                                        
                              Black                                                                                     
                                                                                                                        
     Civilian noninstitutional population...................    4,969     4,976     4,985     4,993        24        .5 
       Civilian labor force.................................    2,652     2,664     3,099     3,216       564      21.3 
             Participation rate.............................     53.4      53.5      62.2      64.4      11.0      20.7 
         Employed...........................................    2,165     2,090     2,422     2,419       254      11.7 
             Employment-population ratio (1)................     43.6      42.0      48.6      48.4       4.9      11.2 
         Unemployed.........................................      487       574       676       797       310      63.7 
           Looking for full-time work.......................      332       430       547       636       304      91.7 
           Looking for part-time work.......................      155       145       130       161         6       3.7 
           Unemployment rate................................     18.4      21.6      21.8      24.8       6.4      34.9 
       Not in labor force...................................    2,317     2,312     1,886     1,777      -540     -23.3 
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                                        

       1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
        NOTE:  Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population
     controls used in the household survey.






     Table 2.  Employment status of the civilian population 16 to 24 years of age by sex and race, July 1995-98

     (Numbers in thousands.  Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
     _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                      |              |              |              |              
                     Employment status, sex, and race                 |     1995     |     1996     |     1997     |     1998     
     _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                      |              |              |              |              
                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                  
                                   TOTAL                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian noninstitutional population.............................      32,436         32,310         32,803         33,266   
       Civilian labor force...........................................      24,102         23,677         23,931         24,225   
             Participation rate.......................................        74.3           73.3           73.0           72.8   
         Employed.....................................................      21,041         20,702         21,197         21,599   
             Employment-population ratio (1)..........................        64.9           64.1           64.6           64.9   
         Unemployed...................................................       3,062          2,975          2,734          2,626   
           Looking for full-time work.................................       2,273          2,136          2,005          1,910   
           Looking for part-time work.................................         789            839            729            716   
           Unemployment rate..........................................        12.7           12.6           11.4           10.8   
       Not in labor force.............................................       8,334          8,633          8,872          9,041   
                                                                                                                                  
                                    Men                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian noninstitutional population.............................      16,246         16,179         16,548         16,779   
       Civilian labor force...........................................      12,884         12,667         12,653         12,807   
             Participation rate.......................................        79.3           78.3           76.5           76.3   
         Employed.....................................................      11,311         11,023         11,207         11,370   
             Employment-population ratio (1)..........................        69.6           68.1           67.7           67.8   
         Unemployed...................................................       1,573          1,644          1,446          1,436   
           Looking for full-time work.................................       1,219          1,182          1,094          1,083   
           Looking for part-time work.................................         354            462            352            353   
           Unemployment rate..........................................        12.2           13.0           11.4           11.2   
       Not in labor force.............................................       3,363          3,512          3,894          3,973   
                                                                                                                                  
                                   Women                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian noninstitutional population.............................      16,190         16,131         16,256         16,487   
       Civilian labor force...........................................      11,219         11,010         11,278         11,418   
             Participation rate.......................................        69.3           68.3           69.4           69.3   
         Employed.....................................................       9,730          9,678          9,990         10,228   
             Employment-population ratio (1)..........................        60.1           60.0           61.5           62.0   
         Unemployed...................................................       1,489          1,331          1,289          1,190   
           Looking for full-time work.................................       1,054            954            912            827   
           Looking for part-time work.................................         435            377            377            363   
           Unemployment rate..........................................        13.3           12.1           11.4           10.4   
       Not in labor force.............................................       4,971          5,121          4,977          5,068   
                                                                                                                                  
                                   White                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian noninstitutional population.............................      25,777         25,729         26,159         26,606   
       Civilian labor force...........................................      19,890         19,644         19,901         20,028   
             Participation rate.......................................        77.2           76.4           76.1           75.3   
         Employed.....................................................      17,876         17,584         17,992         18,343   
             Employment-population ratio (1)..........................        69.3           68.3           68.8           68.9   
         Unemployed...................................................       2,014          2,060          1,909          1,685   
           Looking for full-time work.................................       1,454          1,428          1,412          1,178   
           Looking for part-time work.................................         559            632            497            507   
           Unemployment rate..........................................        10.1           10.5            9.6            8.4   
       Not in labor force.............................................       5,887          6,085          6,258          6,578   
                                                                                                                                  
                                   Black                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                  
     Civilian noninstitutional population.............................       4,834          4,883          4,958          4,993   
       Civilian labor force...........................................       3,083          3,026          3,030          3,216   
             Participation rate.......................................        63.8           62.0           61.1           64.4   
         Employed.....................................................       2,230          2,258          2,347          2,419   
             Employment-population ratio (1)..........................        46.1           46.2           47.3           48.4   
         Unemployed...................................................         852            768            684            797   
           Looking for full-time work.................................         667            617            500            636   
           Looking for part-time work.................................         186            151            183            161   
           Unemployment rate..........................................        27.7           25.4           22.6           24.8   
       Not in labor force.............................................       1,751          1,858          1,927          1,777   
     _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                                                  

       1 Employment as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population.
       NOTE:  Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls used in
     the household survey.






     Table 3.  Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, and race, July 1997-98

     (Numbers in thousands.  Data are not seasonally adjusted.)
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                            |                   |                   |                   
                                                            |       Total       |       White       |       Black       
                                                             ___________________________________________________________
                  Industry and class of worker              |                   |                   |                   
                                                            |         |         |         |         |         |         
                                                            |   1997  |   1998  |   1997  |   1998  |   1997  |   1998  
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                            |         |         |         |         |         |         
                                                                                                                        
           Total employed...................................   21,197    21,599    17,992    18,343     2,347     2,419 
                                                                                                                        
       Agriculture .........................................      763       803       726       756        17        30 
       Nonagricultural industries...........................   20,434    20,796    17,266    17,586     2,330     2,389 
         Private wage and salary workers....................   18,627    18,927    15,838    16,074     2,049     2,109 
           Mining...........................................       60        57        58        53      -            4 
           Construction.....................................    1,153     1,161     1,080     1,088        42        49 
           Manufacturing....................................    2,258     2,188     1,925     1,812       222       278 
           Transportation and public utilities..............      734       821       602       711       103        90 
           Wholesale trade..................................      546       657       482       594        41        45 
           Retail trade.....................................    7,458     7,377     6,353     6,279       832       840 
           Finance, insurance, and real estate..............      924       890       771       733       119       102 
           Services.........................................    5,493     5,778     4,568     4,803       691       700 
                                                                                                                        
         Government.........................................    1,445     1,484     1,118     1,163       248       254 
           Federal..........................................      176       178       116       138        39        32 
           State............................................      462       464       370       338        77       103 
           Local............................................      806       842       631       687       132       119 
                                                                                                                        
         Self-employed and unpaid family workers............      362       384       310       349        33        26 
     ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                                                                                                                        

        NOTE:  Beginning in January 1998, data reflect new composite estimation procedures and revised population
     controls used in the household survey.  Dash represents zero.