Politics & Government

Unemployment Among CT Youth a Threat to State's Economic Future: Report

The rate of unemployed people ages 16-24 is higher in Connecticut than nationally, according to a study by Connecticut Voices for Children.

By Ron DeRosa

An aging population combined with a shrinking workforce and a creeping unemployment rate is not boding well for Connecticut’s economic future.

And, according to a study by the non-profit Connecticut Voices for Children, younger people are among those getting hit the hardest.

The unemployment rate among workers age 16-24 has dramatically increased over the last decade, with 17.1 percent of young workers unemployed in 2012. By comparison, the unemployment rate was 7.4 percent for those ages 25-54 and 6.4 percent among those ages 55 and older, according to the report, which is released every year around Labor Day.

Connecticut youth unemployment — currently at a historically high level — is also higher than the national average of 16.2 percent.

“It has been on the rise over the last dozen years, increasing dramatically during the recent recession,” according to a news release from the CT Voices report. “From a low of 5.6 percent in 2000, youth unemployment more than tripled to a high of 18.2 percent in 2011, then declined slightly in 2012.”

Some other quick facts from the report:

  • Between 1979 and 2012 the youth unemployment rate in Connecticut rose from 11.3 percent to 17.1 percent, a full 51 percent increase.

  • From the low point of youth unemployment in 2000, at 5.6 percent, the rate reached a maximum of 18.2 percent in 2010 and 2011.

  • From 2011 to 2012, youth unemployment dropped to 17.1 percent.

  • In 2012, Black unemployment (13.4 percent) and Hispanic unemployment (15.7 percent) were about double the White unemployment rate (7.0 percent).

  • On average, Hispanics earned 55 cents and Blacks earned 72 cents for every dollar earned by Whites.

  • Youth unemployment in Connecticut is more than twice the statewide rate.

  • The Great Recession exacerbated a trend of increasing youth unemployment.

  • A smaller share of the working age population is working or looking for work, particularly among young people.

  • While Connecticut has added jobs in the recent past, these jobs are among the state’s lowest-paid sectors.

  • Long-term unemployment for young people in Connecticut is higher than it is nationally, though it is worse for older workers.

  • Connecticut’s minorities and less-educated workers face high unemployment and low wages.

  • Closing Connecticut’s opportunity gaps for young and minority workers will be necessary for the future economic health and quality of life in the state.

The State of Working Connecticut” is released each year in partnership with the Economic Policy Institute (www.epi.org), an economic think tank based in Washington, DC. Connecticut Voices for Children is a research-based think tank that works to advance policies that benefit the state’s children, youth and families. For more information on Connecticut Voices, or to read the Voices’ report, see www.ctvoices.org.


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