The Latest On Youth Unemployment and Jobs

By Carla Murphy Jul 21, 2014

Monday morning doesn’t mean work for many young people who want a job. The unemployment rate is inching down, but as NPR reports, one in four blacks and one in six Latinos under the age of 25 can’t find a job. There just aren’t enough of them to go around, Howard University economics professor William Spriggs says, also pointing out that information about job openings segregates along color lines and networks.

In an announcement slated for today, Trymaine Lee reports that Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative (MBK), which aims to improve outcomes for young men and boys of color, is expanding. The $200 million program is getting a $100 million boost from a variety of private partners, including the NBA and NBA Players Association. MBK has been criticized for not including girls and young women of color and its small-scale and foundation funding.

And just FYI, tech initiatives for youth of color are getting more attention lately–likely, because of increasing pressure on the industry to add more blacks, Latinos and women. NPR follows a 20-year-old Oakland woman working double time this summer at her fast-food job and learning tech skills through a nonprofit, Hack the Hood. On the East Coast, another nonprofit, All Star Code, is expanding to help 1,000 young men of color prepare for careers in tech.

If you’re under 25 and employed, how did you find your job? If you’re unemployed, what’s your biggest challenge?