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Video- American teens facing high unemployment nationwide

Not enough young people can find work in America. In fact, the end of this season marks the worst summer on record for U.S. teenagers seeking work.

Only a quarter of nearly 17 million Americans between 16 and 19 years of age held jobs this summer, the least since World War II. What that translates to — is a slower start to gaining job experience and potential for more than 12 million young people to earn lower
saleries throughout an entire lifetime.

Georgetown University Professor Harry Holzer worries about the recent college graduate who can’t find work, and there are plenty, but he says teens from poor families are at risk for long term problems.

Statistics show only 12 percent of black male teens from families who earn less than $40,000 a year had summer work in June and July. These teens are competeting for jobs with experienced workers who have been out of the job force for years or recently laid off by companies which have gone out of business.

Employment not only gives teens exposure to the work world, but it
also makes it less likely they’ll drop out of high school or end up
delinquent. In some poverty-stricken communities, social workers worry that no options to earn money, some teens will turn to crime.

For teens in low-income communities, the main problem is that a lack of work experience damages their prospects for moving out of poverty, The teen summer employment rate has plummeted by almost a third since 2006 before the financial crisis and recession hit, and any meager recovery for the overall jobs market appears to have left out teens altogether.

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