2001 Summer Employment and Unemployment Among Youth — 2001-08-21

The number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by about 2.4 million from April to July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This year's seasonal expansion in youth employment was slightly larger than last year's growth of 2.2 million. The number of unemployed youth, which also normally grows at this time of year, rose by about 450,000 between April and July, about the same as the increase in the prior 2 years. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and sum- mer, the data used 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 as large numbers of high school and college students take or search for summer employment and as many recent graduates begin or look for permanent jobs.