If you think the Great Recession exacted a financial toll on you, your friends or former co-workers, consider this disturbing statistic: Half of the states have teen unemployment rates that exceed 25 percent. Apparently, the days when teens could get a part-time job to help pay for college are over – at least for now.
An analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Employment Policies Institute shows that 25 states had teen unemployment rates above 25 percent, with Michigan at nearly 29 percent. The worst state is Georgia, where more than 37 percent of teens are jobless. Worse yet, the national teen unemployment rate for blacks is 42 percent.
Of course, these statistics refer to kids who are actively looking for a job and can’t find one.
While the numbers are grim, some conservatives have jumped on the situation and have used it as a reason to block minimum wage hikes and to establish sub-minimum pay for teens.
According to the Employment Policies Institute, five states are eyeing legislation to create a lower training wage to spur employment and outside-the-classroom learning opportunities for teens: Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
“The statistics are devastating: Nationally, nearly one in four teens is looking for work without success,” said Michael Saltsman, a researcher at the institute. “With summer approaching, the creation of a lower training wage would be an excellent way to boost job opportunities for teens in hard-hit states.”
If one of these “training wage” programs offers kids about $80, after taxes, to work 20 hours a week, I would be interested to see how many takers they get. Teens these days can spend $80 at the mall in less than an hour.