If you're like me and living with a teenager in your home, you know at times it can be difficult to get them motivated, especially when it comes to working at a part-time job.
We'll let's forget for a moment all their lounging, texting, Facebook posting, hanging at the mall, wasting countless hours in front of a gaming system or surfing the Net constantly... and say he/she is a really motivated young person who has been diligently looking for work in these trying economic times. Well, there's a difference between applying for jobs and landing that summer job to earn money or save up for those college text books and tuition...
There may be something more standing in their way...
Its the Illinois economy and its lack of job recovery from as far back as 2008 to currently (in the Joliet Illinois region) of 10% unemployment.
Let's take a look at Black Teen Unemployment across the Nation:
"The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in February, the Labor Department reported on Friday. That's still rather high, but it's nothing compared to what black teens are grappling with: an unemployment rate that grew to 43.1 percent. That's higher than when the recession ended. It's also substantially higher than in November 2007, right before the recession started. Back then, the black teen unemployment rate -- teen being defined as anyone between the ages of 16 and 19 years old -- was 28.9 percent, according to Labor Department data." [Learn even more HERE about Black Unemployment in District 86.]
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On May 8, 2013, it was reported that in Illinois:
"Hikes in the federal minimum wage could hurt a group of Illinois workers already facing an unemployment rate of almost 30 percent. Illinois teens are finding it more and more difficult to find summer jobs. Right now, one in every four teens can't find a summer job.
A study by the Employment Policies Institute shows this summer will be the fifth consecutive year teens have seen an unemployment rate higher than 20 percent. According to the study, these youth will face hardships in the long run as well, because teen employment leads to larger earnings in their future careers.
Illinois ranks as the fifth-worst state for teen employment opportunities, according to Employment Policies Institute. The national teen unemployment rate is 24.1 percent."
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On May 8, 2013, it was reported that in Illinois:
"Hikes in the federal minimum wage could hurt a group of Illinois workers already facing an unemployment rate of almost 30 percent. Illinois teens are finding it more and more difficult to find summer jobs. Right now, one in every four teens can't find a summer job.
A study by the Employment Policies Institute shows this summer will be the fifth consecutive year teens have seen an unemployment rate higher than 20 percent. According to the study, these youth will face hardships in the long run as well, because teen employment leads to larger earnings in their future careers.
Illinois ranks as the fifth-worst state for teen employment opportunities, according to Employment Policies Institute. The national teen unemployment rate is 24.1 percent."
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ABC News Reports on May 10, 2013:
"Teenagers in West Central Illinois are hitting the unemployment line more than most others across the nation.
A recent study by the Employment
Policies Institute puts Illinois at number nine when it comes to
out-of-work teens between age 16 and 19. The unemployment rate for that
age group is 27-point-two-percent. Experts say the state's high minimum
wage could be a reason why teens are having a hard time finding work,
but others say it could be because older workers are taking lower-paying
jobs, thanks to the recession."
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Well
has anything changed in the past few years? Has the economy for teens
improved under either former Rep. Jack McGuire (D-IL Dist.86) or Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. (D-IL Dist.86)? Lets find out:
As reported in January of 2011:
"A preliminary analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Employment
Policies Institute (EPI) shows that teen unemployment averaged 27.6
percent in Illinois in 2010. That’s the fifteenth highest in the
country, and up from 25.8 percent in 2009."
CBS New reported in June of 2011:
"WBBM reports, the unemployment rate for teenagers, defined in Illinois as those aged 16-19, is 27 percent. That’s up from 25 percent in 2009."
UNEMPLOYMENT:
25% in 2009
27.6% in 2010
25.8% to 27% in 2011
25.2% April 2012
27.2% 2013
Only 27 percent of teens in Illinois had jobs [in 2011] – the lowest Illinois teen employment rate in the 42 years this data has been collected. The figures were worst for African American teens in Chicago, where only 10 percent had jobs.
The Great Recession clobbered teens with higher unemployment rates, fewer employment opportunities and fewer hours worked – a perfect storm.
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Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, January 2012:
- "In the nation, the teen employment rate fell from 45% in the 1999 - 2000 period to only 26% in 2011, a drop of 19 percentage points or 42%. This 26% teen employment rate was the lowest in the nation’s entire post World War II history.
- Teen employment rates also declined sharply in Illinois over this same time period. Their teen employment rate fell from just under 50% in 1999 - 2000 to 36% in 2007 and to only 27.5% in 2011, the lowest in the past 42 years for which such state teen employment data exist."
Families... Parents... Keep Encouraging Your Teens To Go Out There And Find That Job! It's Not 100% Their Fault If They Can't Find Employment! Our State Legislature Has A Large Part In Shaping Our Economy!
Your Teens Deserve Better than Larry Walsh Jr. We Need Better Representation for District 86!
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