Youth “Under Siege”

Obama’s Policies Have Left Young Americans Jobless

UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, YOUNG AMERICANS “ARE UNDER SIEGE”

Jesse Jackson: “Young People Find Themselves Under Siege.” “Young people find themselves under siege. Youth unemployment for ages 16 to 24 is at Arab Spring levels – officially 16.5 percent. In public schools, children are being hit with teacher layoffs, bigger class sizes, less bus service, fees for sports and other extracurricular activities and less course offerings.” (Jesse Jackson, Op-Ed, “Young Americans Are Under Siege,” Chicago Sun-Times, 4/16/12)

Unemployment Is Having A “Disproportionate Effect” On Young Americans

High Unemployment Is Having A “Disproportionate Effect” On Youth. “The economic turmoil that has left many Americans without work is having a disproportionate effect on teenage job-seekers, whose quest for entry-level positions often pits them against experienced older workers willing to take any job for a paycheck.” (Stephanie Reitz, “U.S. Teenagers Struggle To Find Part-Time Jobs In Fragile Labor Market,” The Huffington Post, 1/11/12)

• Since Obama Took Office, The Unemployment Rate For Youth Age 16-19 Has Increased From 20.7 Percent To 25.0 Percent. (BLS, Accessed 4/12/12)

o Since The Stimulus Passed, The Unemployment Rate For Youth Age 16-19 Has Increased From 22.2 Percent To 25.0 Percent. ( BLS, Accessed 4/12/12)

• Since Obama Took Office, The Unemployment Rate For 20-24 Year Olds Has Increased From 12.4 Percent To 13.2 Percent. (BLS, Accessed 4/12/12)

54.3 Percent Of 18-24 Year Olds Have A Job, “The Lowest Rate Since The Government Started Keeping Records In 1948.” “How hard has the Great Recession hit young adults in the U.S.? According to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, only 54.3% of young adults aged 18 to 24 have a job. It’s the lowest rate since the government started keeping records in 1948.” (Josh Sanburn, “Fewest Young Adults In 60 Years Have Jobs,” Time’s “Moneyland” 2/9/12)

• Only 25 Percent Of Teenagers Were Employed In 2011, The Lowest Since 1999-2000. “Teenaged workers, whether it was students seeking summer jobs or school dropouts and graduates looking for full-time work, were particularly hard-hit by joblessness. Only one in four U.S. teenagers held a job in 2011, the smallest percentage in decades and half what it was in 1999-2000. A weak job market hurts teenagers most, McLaughlin said, because employers need not hire inexperienced and younger workers because there are plenty of adults seeking work.” (Andrew Stern, “Teenage Unemployment: Teen Employment At Its Lowest Level In Decades Due To Recession Job Losses,” Reuters , 1/24/12)

Every Category Of Work Is The Worst For Young Americans. “Every category of working — such as the official unemployment rate and the labor participation rate — shows up worst for the youngest generation. Overall joblessness is between two and three times higher for 20-somethings than it is for older workers.” (Derek Thompson, “No Country For Young Men (Or Young Women),” The Atlantic, 11/8/11)

“It Is, Very Simply, A Tough Time To Be Young. There Are 14 Million Unemployed People Looking For A Job And Millions More Sitting On The Sidelines Or Working Part-Time.” (Derek Thompson, “No Country For Young Men (Or Young Women),” The Atlantic, 11/8/11)

More Young Americans Are Living At Home With Their Parents

3 In 10 Of Young Adults Are Returning To Live At Home, The Highest Share Since 1950. “Unable to find well-paying work in a weak economy, escalating numbers of young adults – as many as 3 in 10 – are returning home to the family nest, resulting in the highest share of young adults living in multigenerational households since the 1950s, according to a Pew Research Center report released Thursday.” (Husna Haq, “Three In 10 Young Adults Live With Parents, Highest Level Since 1950s,” The Christian Science Monitor , 3/15/12)

Kim Parker, Senior Researcher At Pew: “The Rise In The Boomerang Phenomenon Illustrates The Effect The Recession And The Weak Economy Are Having On Young Adults.” “‘The rise in the boomerang phenomenon illustrates the effect the recession and the weak economy are having on young adults,’ says Kim Parker, a senior researcher at Pew and the author of the study. ‘Young adults were hit particularly hard in the job market and are having to delay reaching some basic financial milestones of adulthood because of this.'” (Husna Haq, “Three In 10 Young Adults Live With Parents, Highest Level Since 1950s,” The Christian Science Monitor , 3/15/12)

“Their Employment Prospects Are Dim, Their Debt Is High, Their Lives Are On Hold And A Stunning Number Are Living With Their Parents, Even Into Their 30s.” (Bob Sullivan, “Recession Threatens Generation Of Young Adults, Inspires ‘Occupy’ Protests,”MSNBC’s ” Redtape,” 11/2/11)

Jesse Jackson: Even Young Americans With Jobs “Are Forced By Economic Need To Live With Their Parents.” “And these students are graduating into the worst job market since the 1930s. Even if they find work,increasing numbers are forced by economic need to live with their parents.” (Jesse Jackson, Op-Ed, “Young Americans Are Under Siege,”Chicago Sun-Times, 4/16/12)

And The Future For Young Americans Isn’t Looking Any Better

Extended Youth Joblessness Often Results In “Painful Long-Term Effects.” “A prolonged period of joblessness during one’s first few years in the labor market can also have painful long-term effects. A young man who spends a year unemployed before age 23 will be earning 23 percent less than his peers a decade later, according to The Economist. For young women, the earning gap is 16 percent.” (Alexander Eichler, “Youth Employment Shows A Surprising Rise, Though Overall Picture Remains Grim,” The Huffington Post, 12/1/11)

When Today’s Graduates Find A Job, They Will Earn 9 Percent Less. “If history is a guide, when today’s young graduates do find a job, they will earn 9% less on average than if they had finished college in better times, according to a recent Columbia University study. The worst-off graduates may be those from the classes of 2008 and 2009, according to Yale School of Management economist Lisa Kahn.” (Joe Light and Lauren Weber, “Generation Jobless: For Those Under 24, A Portrait In Crisis,” The Wall Street Journal , 11/7/11)

Young Adults Are At Risk Of “Becoming A Lost Generation.” “They are young adults, 18 to 34, struggling to begin their adult lives during the worst economy since the Great Depression, and they risk becoming a lost generation, according to an extensive new study released Wednesday by two advocacy groups.” (Bob Sullivan, “Recession Threatens Generation Of Young Adults, Inspires ‘Occupy’ Protests,” MSNBC’s ” Redtape,” 11/2/11)

• “People Who Have No Hope For The Future Don’t Plan For It.” (Bob Sullivan, “Recession Threatens Generation Of Young Adults, Inspires ‘Occupy’ Protests,”MSNBC’s ” Redtape ,” 11/2/11)

YOUTH HAVE LOST HOPE BECAUSE NOTHING CHANGED

“High Youth Unemployment Could Create Headwinds For President Obama’s Re-Election Campaign.” “Some political analysts believe that high youth unemployment could create headwinds for President Obama’s re-election campaign, even though young voters were responsible for so much momentum during Obama’s 2008 campaign. In poll after poll this year, voters have consistently named jobs and the economy as their most pressing concerns.” (Alexander Eichler, “Youth Employment Shows A Surprising Rise, Though Overall Picture Remains Grim,” The Huffington Post, 12/1/11)

“Visit Any College Campus Today, And You Are Likely To Sense A Lack Of Passion And Energy For Obama. It’s Far From Clear That He Can Reproduce The Unusually Strong Turnout Among Younger Voters That He Sparked In 2008 Or Match The 66 Percent Performance Level He Achieved Then.” (Charlie Cook, “Young And Restless,”National Journal , 3/29/12)

Youth Support For Obama Has “Cooled” Due To “A Surge In Unemployment That Is Souring Young Voters.” “Obama enjoyed a wave of youth support in his run to the presidency, winning 66 percent of voters aged 18-to-29 in the race against Republican Senator John McCain. Twenty-two million young voters cast ballots, making up about 18 percent of the electorate — two million more than in 2004, according to exit polls and the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. Today that passion has cooled amid gridlock and partisanship in Washington and a surge in unemployment that is souring young voters.” (Andrew Theen, “Obama Campus Fervor Losing To Apathy As Students Sour On 2012,” San Francisco Chronicle , 3/30/12)

Director Of The Center For The Study Of The American Electorate Curtis Gans: “There’s Not The Sense That Four More Years Of Obama Will Change The World For The Better.” “‘There’s not the sense that four more years of Obama will change the world for the better,’ Gans said.” (Andrew Theen, “Obama Campus Fervor Losing To Apathy As Students Sour On 2012,” San Francisco Chronicle , 3/30/12)