Chuck Gallo's letter, "Students Need to See Education's Job Relevance," commented on an earlier story (PHYSICS TODAY, December 2009, page 28) on what determines how well kids do in school. Gallo focuses on low‑income students and the importance of integrating education and real job experience; he notes that young people should "be encouraged to get jobs as early as possible." I think that is good advice for all income levels; I greatly value my own experience of having worked long summer hours at ages 15 and 16.
The current dearth of summer jobs for teenagers can be partially attributed to the economic recession. But another factor is perhaps the most important contributor to teen unemployment. In a study released in May 2010, the Washington, DC–based Center for Immigration Studies concluded that states with high numbers of immigrants have low levels of teenage labor-force participation.1 The center's report states that in 1994 nearly two‑thirds of US‑born teenagers ages 16 to 19 were in the summer labor force; by 2007 less than half of that age group had summer employment. Note that the drop occurred before the current recession.
The report notes that during the same period the overall number of immigrants, legal and illegal, holding a job doubled. In particular, sectors that saw the biggest drop in teenage workforce participation saw the biggest increase in immigrant workers. According to the report, the severity of the decline is similar for teenagers coming from both high- and low-income households and for US-born Hispanics, blacks, and whites. The report contains many additional details, and its authors note that those who do not hold jobs as teenagers often find themselves at a disadvantage later in life.
