The proportion of people ages 16 to 24 who were employed in July was 51.4 percent, the lowest July rate since records began in 1948 and 4.6 percentage points lower than in July 2008.
The traditional summertime peak for youth employment saw 19.3 million workers in that age group on the job nationally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual report, released Thursday. The proportion of young people actively seeking work surges between April and July each year as people look for summer jobs or their first jobs after graduation.
