Toward a Better Future: Evidence on Improving Employment Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth in the United States

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Toward a Better Future: Evidence on Improving Employment Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth in the United States
Language: English
Authors: Hossain, Farhana, Bloom, Dan, MDRC
Source: MDRC. 2015.
Availability: MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 66
Publication Date: 2015
Sponsoring Agency: Rockefeller Foundation
Document Type: Information Analyses
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Disadvantaged Youth, Youth Employment, Employment Programs, Unemployment, Economically Disadvantaged, Youth Programs, Employers, Futures (of Society), Literature Reviews
Abstract: In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, youth unemployment in the United States reached its highest level since the Second World War. Only about half of young people ages 16 to 24 held jobs in 2013, and recent estimates suggest that about one in five people in this age range were neither working nor in school. This paper draws from an MDRC review of literature on labor market trends and employment-related programs for youth over the past 30 years. It aims to inform the search for demand-side solutions by providing a better understanding of: (1) factors that potentially drive high rates of unemployment among young adults; (2) the current state of evidence on employment-related interventions for youth, especially economically disadvantaged youth; and (3) future directions for change that involve stronger employer involvement. An appendix presents: "Selected Rigorous Evaluations of Job-Related Programs for Youth."
Abstractor: ERIC
Number of References: 100
Entry Date: 2015
Accession Number: ED558539
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, youth unemployment in the United States reached its highest level since the Second World War. Only about half of young people ages 16 to 24 held jobs in 2013, and recent estimates suggest that about one in five people in this age range were neither working nor in school. This paper draws from an MDRC review of literature on labor market trends and employment-related programs for youth over the past 30 years. It aims to inform the search for demand-side solutions by providing a better understanding of: (1) factors that potentially drive high rates of unemployment among young adults; (2) the current state of evidence on employment-related interventions for youth, especially economically disadvantaged youth; and (3) future directions for change that involve stronger employer involvement. An appendix presents: "Selected Rigorous Evaluations of Job-Related Programs for Youth."