Solving Oregon’s youth job crisis

nfib-logoBy NFIB

Oregon’s economy has recovered since the recession, but younger workers lag behind.

If younger generations are our future, that future might not be so bright if current trends continue.

Oregon had the fourth-highest youth unemployment rate in 2015 at 22.2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2015 Current Population Survey.

To address the issue, a group devised of representatives from different labor and business organizations, including NFIB, met for the first time on May 26.

“Young people make-up the next generation of small business owners,” said NFIB/Oregon State Director Anthony Smith. “Getting that first job provides an opportunity for experience. But later on they might just decide they can it on their own—as their own boss. It sparks the entrepreneurial spirit.”

Oregon’s youth unemployment reached a record high during the recession, according to an Oregon Employment Department report. And though the numbers have significantly improved since, a lot of work is still needed.

There were 29,300 fewer teenage workers in the labor force in 2015 than in 2007, which means many of the jobs that this group lost during the recession were not filled even as the economy picked up.

Smith and others are worried that young workers are being “priced out” of the labor market due to rising wages and their lack of experience.

The work group will discuss potential solutions to getting teenagers back into the workforce, such as instituting a lower training wage. Smith says that the group will meet approximately once a month through August, with the possibility of meeting further.


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