{ "id": "R44746", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44746", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 461302, "date": "2017-05-16", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T13:27:12.580657", "title": "Background and Federal Efforts on Summer Youth Employment ", "summary": "Labor force activity for youth ages 16 to 24 has been in decline since the late 1990s. This trend has been consistent even during the summer months, when youth are most likely to be engaged in work. Labor force data from the month of July highlight changes in summer employment over time. For example, the employment rate\u2014known as the employment to population (E/P) ratio\u2014for youth was 64.1% in July 1996 and 53.2% in July 2016. Congress has long been concerned about ensuring that young people have productive pathways to adulthood, particularly for those youth who are low-income and have barriers to employment. One possible policy lever for improving youth employment prospects is providing jobs and supportive activities during the summer months. \nGenerally, cities and other local jurisdictions carry out summer employment programs in which youth are placed in jobs or are otherwise participating in activities to facilitate their eventual entry into the workforce. Summer employment may serve multiple policy goals, including supporting low-income youth and their families, encouraging youth to develop \u201csoft skills\u201d that can help them navigate their environments and work well with others, and deterring youth from activities that could lead to them getting in trouble or being harmed. Data are limited on the number of youth engaged in summer employment. A survey of 40 cities reported that nearly 116,000 youth had summer jobs in 2015. This represents a small portion of the approximately 20 million youth ages 16 to 24 in the U.S. labor force during the summer.\nLocalities fund summer employment activities with public and private dollars. Federal workforce laws since 1964 have authorized funding to local governments for their summer employment activities, primarily for low-income youth with barriers to employment; however, the laws\u2019 provisions about summer employment have shifted over time. The existing federal workforce law, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA, P.L. 113-128), was enacted in 2014 and made summer employment an optional activity under the Youth Activities program. This program provides the major federal support for youth employment and job training activities throughout the United States. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA, P.L. 105-220) and other prior laws required localities to use Youth Activities funding for summer youth employment. \nOther recent federal efforts have sought to bolster the summer employment prospects for young people. Under the Summer Jobs and Beyond grant, the Department of Labor provided $21 million in FY2016 for 11 communities to expand work opportunities for youth during the summer. The executive branch has also encouraged other federal programs, including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, to provide employment to eligible youth during the summer. Separately, the Obama Administration forged partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors to expand summer jobs. For example, the My Brother\u2019s Keeper initiative has engaged the private sector in providing job and other opportunities for young men of color. \nSummer youth employment is short in duration and can range in intensity for youth participants. Therefore, it may not necessarily lead to changes in behavior or employment outcomes. In considering whether to further support localities in expanding summer employment, Congress may want to examine the efficacy of existing summer employment programs and promising approaches to serving young people in these programs. A small number of rigorously evaluated summer job programs show promise on selected youth outcomes, including programs in Chicago and New York City. A recent study has identified features of high-quality summer employment programs. Such features include a focus on recruiting and supporting youth and employers, a well-trained staff that coordinates with employers and other partners, and technologies to administer the program and facilitate communication with stakeholders.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44746", "sha1": "4e20b93ee1a9d648631580d78544ab633bdb27fd", "filename": "files/20170516_R44746_4e20b93ee1a9d648631580d78544ab633bdb27fd.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44746_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170516_R44746_images_47798986c0b712957d164520f2c0fa0b7665a0ba.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44746_files&id=/2.png": "files/20170516_R44746_images_e17ee9e229a30b9219c4d991e1e0c0be7fb58798.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44746_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170516_R44746_images_2bae8a75343752f3c844413fbd4a219836b01359.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44746_files&id=/3.png": "files/20170516_R44746_images_e7998ffd4782b85feb04e40648cb40722fe847ae.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44746", "sha1": "4b45d035da0e3a6e3807c457578901ffc7afe343", "filename": "files/20170516_R44746_4b45d035da0e3a6e3807c457578901ffc7afe343.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4943, "name": "Workforce Development & Employment Services" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 458434, "date": "2017-01-25", "retrieved": "2017-02-03T19:12:17.200103", "title": "Background and Federal Efforts on Summer Youth Employment ", "summary": "Labor force activity for youth ages 16 to 24 has been in decline since the late 1990s. This trend has been consistent even during the summer months, when youth are most likely to be engaged in work. Labor force data from the month of July highlight changes in summer employment over time. For example, the employment rate\u2014known as the employment to population (E/P) ratio\u2014for youth was 64.1% in July 1996 and 53.2% in July 2016. Congress has long been concerned about ensuring that young people have productive pathways to adulthood, particularly for those youth who are low-income and have barriers to employment. One possible policy lever for improving youth employment prospects is providing jobs and supportive activities during the summer months. \nGenerally, cities and other local jurisdictions carry out summer employment programs in which youth are placed in jobs or are otherwise participating in activities to facilitate their eventual entry into the workforce. Summer employment may serve multiple policy goals, including supporting low-income youth and their families, encouraging youth to develop \u201csoft skills\u201d that can help them navigate their environments and work well with others, and deterring youth from activities that could lead to them getting in trouble or being harmed. Data are limited on the number of youth engaged in summer employment. A survey of 40 cities reported that nearly 116,000 youth had summer jobs in 2015. This represents a small portion of the approximately 20 million youth ages 16 to 24 in the U.S. labor force during the summer.\nLocalities fund summer employment activities with public and private dollars. Federal workforce laws since 1964 have authorized funding to local governments for their summer employment activities, primarily for low-income youth with barriers to employment; however, the laws\u2019 provisions about summer employment have shifted over time. The existing federal workforce law, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA, P.L. 113-128), was enacted in 2014 and made summer employment an optional activity under the Youth Activities program. This program provides the major federal support for youth employment and job training activities throughout the United States. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA, P.L. 105-220) and other prior laws required localities to use Youth Activities funding for summer youth employment. \nOther recent federal efforts have sought to bolster the summer employment prospects for young people. Under the Summer Jobs and Beyond grant, the Department of Labor provided $21 million in FY2016 for 11 communities to expand work opportunities for youth during the summer. The executive branch has also encouraged other federal programs, including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, to provide employment to eligible youth during the summer. Separately, the Obama Administration forged partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors to expand summer jobs. For example, the My Brother\u2019s Keeper initiative has engaged the private sector in providing job and other opportunities for young men of color. \nSummer youth employment is short in duration and can range in intensity for youth participants. Therefore, it may not necessarily lead to changes in behavior or employment outcomes. In considering whether to further support localities in expanding summer employment, Congress may want to examine the efficacy of existing summer employment programs and promising approaches to serving young people in these programs. A small number of rigorously evaluated summer job programs show promise on selected youth outcomes, including programs in Chicago and New York City. A recent study has identified features of high-quality summer employment programs. Such features include a focus on recruiting and supporting youth and employers, a well-trained staff that coordinates with employers and other partners, and technologies to administer the program and facilitate communication with stakeholders.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44746", "sha1": "fb5bc1746146867d8b06e3bbae2a68c363be6fd6", "filename": "files/20170125_R44746_fb5bc1746146867d8b06e3bbae2a68c363be6fd6.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44746", "sha1": "c00a1178cabb32679b9b639c934e22af646aa0b8", "filename": "files/20170125_R44746_c00a1178cabb32679b9b639c934e22af646aa0b8.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4943, "name": "Workforce Development & Employment Services" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Domestic Social Policy", "Economic Policy" ] }