Youth Employment Lowest Since WWII

A nnational report shows the number of working teenagers and young adults is at its lowest point in 50 years. 

The Annie-E Casey Foundation reports six-point-five million people between the ages of 16 and 24 are both out of school and out of work – they call it “disconnected.” The “Youth and Work” report says 21-percent of North Carolina ‘s young people are “disconnected” – which is higher than the national rate.  Numbers also show African Americans and Hispanics suffer from a higher “disconnected” rate than whites.  

And young people living in families with incomes below 20-thousand dollars a year are experiencing the most “disconnection.”  Deborah Bryan, head of Action for Children North Carolina, says youths’ lack of access to employment is placing them at risk of chronic underemployment and reduced financial stability.