2004 Summer Employment and Unemployment Among Youth — 2004-08-18

From April to July 2004, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 2.3 million to 21.4 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. July is the traditional summer- time peak for youth employment. This summer's increase in youth employment was slightly larger than last year's 2.1 million increase. Unemployment among youth rose by 631,000 between April and July 2004, about the same amount as in the prior year. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and sum- mer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.) The youth labor force--16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking for work--grows sharply between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college students take or search for summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin permanent employment.