This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
Young adults also fared poorly. In 2000, 72% of 20 - 24 year olds in Illinois had a job. By November 2009, it was 60%, down 12 points. Blacks were especially impacted with only one in four finding work in 2009. In metropolitan Chicago, suburban employment dropped by 16 points. In the city, it was 19 points - "the equivalent of a Great Depression era, especially for young Black men."
The ability to stay actively engaged in school, training, and/or employment is key to future labor market and earning success. Underutilized youths run serious risks of long-term unemployment and poverty, a growing problem in Illinois and nationally.
The CLMS conclusion is that Illinois and Chicago teens and young adults "have been massively left behind in the labor market," given the state's historic low employment rate, especially for teens.
Facing likely high jobless rates through at least 2015 or longer, teens and young adults can expect "an unmitigated disaster" in their job market and future prospects.
Short of massive federal intervention, nothing envisioned offers hope, especially given the administration's penchant for budget restraint, except for Wall Street, militarism, homeland security, and debt service. As a result, a generation of youths is being trashed, discarded for other priorities.
Chicago's South Side Dilemma - America's Second Highest Unemployment Rate
On November 18, 2009, the Chicago Reporter covered the problem based on 2008 US Census Bureau American Community Survey data. It showed that the collective unemployment rate for the Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Washington Heights and West Englewood neighborhoods was 23.2%. Only Detroit's northeast corner was higher at 28.5%, and these figures exclude:
-- discouraged workers who want jobs but gave up looking;
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
