Bring Back Summer Employment Program: At-Risk Youth Need a Little Help

Summary

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That was back in 2000 when the U.S. economy was still going strong, the housing market hadn't collapsed and crime was at an all-time low. Since then, the nation has gone to war, the economy has lost some steam and unemployment among youth - especially those who are black - is higher than that of whites. According to the National Urban League's 2007 Equality Index, which will be officially released on April 17, unemployment among blacks from the ages of 16 to 19 is 29 percent, compared to 13.2 percent for whites.

The higher the income the better their prospects, among their own race: 38 percent of blacks from families with incomes over $75,000 a year were employed during the summer. But even blacks from the most-affluent households were less likely to get jobs than whites from the least-affluent households: 45 percent of whites from families with incomes under $20,000 landed summer jobs for 2006. Affluent whites outperformed their black counterparts by 17 percentage points. So, it's not only economic standing but also race that dictates to some extent the success of black summer job seekers.

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Bring Back Summer Employment Program: At-Risk Youth Need a Little Help

With the end of the school year a few months away, the prospects of putting America's youth to work to keep them off the streets this summer are pretty meager, especially for those living in urban areas, given the lack of federal support and competition for these jobs from...

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