Youth employment is booming in the United States. An estimated 5.5 million youth between the ages of 12 and 17 are employed. This figure does not include illegal employment. Thousands of children, many as young as six and eight years old, work as migrant and seasonal farm workers, harvesting our nation's fruits and vegetables. Also uncounted are the children working off the books, in sweatshops in large metropolitan garment districts, and on street corners or door-to-door selling candy.

Two thirds of American high school students are employed. Fifty percent of employed high school youth work more than 15 hours per school week. One in 6 work more than 25 hours per school week. Prior to 1950, less than five percent of American high school students had school-year jobs. Today, the vast majority are employed. It is safe to conclude that sometime during their high school career, 80 percent of students will have a part time job during the school year. (Source: Beyond the Classroom, by Laurence Steinberg, 1996).

According to the Current Population Survey, in an average month, 26 percent of all 16-year-olds were employed and 39 percent of 17-year-olds.  In 1996-98, employed youth (who were at work during the survey week) between the ages of 15 and 17 worked an average of 17 hours a week during the school months and 23 hours during the summer months.

More figures from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Report on the Youth Labor Force, 2000:

          Employment among 14 year olds:

·    Well over half (57 percent) of interviewed youth reported having held some type of job while they were age 14.  Freelance jobs were held more often by 14-year-olds than were employee jobs (43 percent to 24 percent).

·    8 percent of all 14-year-olds worked during the school year and averaged 15 or more hours per week during academic weeks.  Nine percent worked more than half of the weeks during the school year.

·    4 percent of all 14-year-olds are working at high intensity (15 or more hours per week and more than half of school-year weeks).

Employment among 15 year olds:

·    64 percent of youth worked at age 15.  Employment was almost equally divided between freelance work and employee jobs.

·    17 percent of all 15-year-olds worked during the school year and averaged 15 or more hours per week during academic weeks.  16 percent worked more than half of the weeks during the school year.

·    8 percent of all 15-year-olds are working at high intensity (15 or more hours per week and more than half of school-year weeks).

Source:  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997.