Youth Employment In American Industry

The persistent high level of unemployment among young people has become an issue of national concern. This study examines nationwide attitudes, practices, and policies of private employers toward hiring youth. A survey was conducted in 1981-82 among a random cross-sample of 535 private employers taken from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Employer Information Report list (EEO-1). The major findings and recommendations were as follows: (1) strategies are needed to facilitate young workers' moving into long-term, higher-paying occupations; (2) private industry should adopt more flexible guidelines to increase teenagers' securing full-time, entry-level positions; (3) advancement opportunities for young workers must increase, especially in service firms and medium-sized and large businesses; (4) most employers surveyed believe that young people perform as well as adults in most areas; (5) the number of private industry-initiated job programs for minority youth should increase; (6) employers need to be made more aware of government programs designed to increase employment opportunities for youth; (7) studies should be done to find out why nearly half of the employers surveyed do not think that a subminimum wage differential will increase young people's job opportunities; (8) employers' willingness to hire minority youths is based on their commitment to helping disadvantaged young people more than on the level of wage subsidy offered; (9) and teaching basic skills in school and skills training on the job must be emphasized to increase youth employability. A description of the EEO-1 list, the sampling plan, the questionnaire, 17 tables, and a 37-item bibliography are appended. (CJS)

In North-American and European cities, youth live in precarious social and economic conditions. The issue of employment has become a political problem. In this volume, sociological, economical and ethnographical perspectives are used to explain ethnic discrimination, inequalities at school, unemployment and marginalization. Work remains a central value in young peoples' lives who not only are victimized but also try to find escapes. Originally in French, this extended and updated book contains contributions by Enrico Pugliese, Saskia Sassen, Min Zhou, François Dubet, Paul Anisef, Paul Axelrod, Ida Susser and others.