The Georgia Department of Human Services will use more than $160 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as an incentive for private- and public-sector employers to hire 20,000 Georgians this summer.
We have a unique opportunity to put Georgians back to work, reinvigorate Georgia businesses and spark an economic recovery across our state, said B.J. Walker, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services. While some states are using federal stimulus funds primarily for social services, we will use ours to put Georgians back to work.
The department is offering huge incentives to employers under two programs, TeenWork, which seeks to hire 15,000 teens this summer and Jobs for Georgia, which will provide incentives for employers to hire 5,000 adult workers.
Under the TeenWork program, employers can hire youths aged 14-18 at a 100 percent subsidy paid by the state. Jobs are available June 1 to July 31, and applicants must come from homes earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $66,000 for a family of four.
The Jobs for Georgia program will provide an 80 percent subsidy, with employers paying only 20 percent of the workers' wages. Adult workers must have at least one dependent child and a current household income of less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
These jobs will provide opportunities for youths to learn essential new work habits, and will give adults an opportunity to learn new skills, said Commissioner Walker. And it gives employers strong incentives to hire. DHS will also use the federal funds to help families facing one-time emergencies, such as trouble with rent payments, mortgage and utility payments. The department has also set aside funds for child care to ease the path back to employment for working parents. Parents who meet the eligibility guidelines and who are either working (full or part time), in school or a training program or are doing a job search through Department of Labor may qualify to have their childcare paid.
Employers can pledge jobs and prospective employees can apply for jobs at jobsforgeorgia.org, and georgiateenwork.org.
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Showing posts with label teenagers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teenagers. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Immigration vs. Teen Employment; Study Finds Immigrant Competition Contributes to Decline in Work
/PRNewswire/ -- The summer of 2010 is shaping up to be worst summer ever for the employment of U.S.-born teenagers (16 to 19 years old). But even before the current recession, the share of U.S.-born teens in the labor force - working or looking for work - was declining. A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that competition with immigrants (legal and illegal) explains a significant share of this decline. The fall in teen employment is worrisome because a large body of research shows that those who do not hold jobs as teenagers often fail to develop the work habits necessary to function in the labor market, creating significant negative consequences for them later in life.
The report, "A Drought of Summer Jobs: Immigration and the Long-Term Decline in Employment Among U.S.-Born Teenagers," can be found at http://www.cis.org/teen-unemployment
Among the findings:
-- The summer of 2009 was the worst summer ever experienced by U.S.-born
teenagers (16-19) since citizenship data was first collected in 1994.
Just 45 percent were in the labor force, which means they worked or
were looking for work. Only one-third actually held a job.
-- Between the summers of 1994 and 2000, a period of significant economic
expansion, the labor force participation of U.S.-born teens actually
declined from 64 percent to 61 percent. By the summer of 2007, before
the current recession, it was down to 48 percent.
-- The number of U.S.-born teenagers not in the labor force increased
from 4.7 million in 1994 to 8.1 million in 2007. In the summer of 2009
it stood at 8.8 million.
-- The severity of the decline is similar for U.S.-born black, Hispanic,
and white teens. The fall-off is also similar for teenagers from both
high- and low-income households.
-- Immigrants and teenagers often do the same kind of work. In the summer
of 2007, in the 10 occupations employing the most U.S.-born teenagers,
one in five workers was an immigrant.
-- Comparisons across states in 2007 show that in the 10 states where
immigrants are the largest share of workers, just 45 percent of
U.S.-born teens were in the summer labor force, compared to 58 percent
in the 10 states where immigrants are the smallest share of workers.
-- Looking at change over time shows that a 10 percentage-point increase
in the immigrant share of a state's work force from 1994 to 2007
reduced the labor force participation rate of U.S.-born teenagers by
7.9 percentage points.
-- Among the states with high immigration and low teen labor force
participation are Nevada, New Jersey, Georgia, Arizona, Texas, North
Carolina, California, and New York.
-- The most likely reason immigrants displace U.S.-born teenagers is that
the vast majority of immigrants are fully developed adults -
relatively few people migrate before age 20. This gives immigrants a
significant advantage over U.S.-born teenagers, who typically have
much less work experience.
-- Summer is the focus of this report; however, the decline in the
employment of U.S.-born teenagers is year-round, including a decline
during the other peak period of seasonal employment at Christmas.
-- Although there is good evidence that immigration is reducing teenage
labor market participation, other factors have likely also contributed
to this problem.
-- One factor that does not explain the decline is an increase in unpaid
internships among U.S.-born teenagers. High-income and college-bound
teens are the most likely to be in internships, yet teenage high
school dropouts and those from the lowest income families show the
same decline. Moreover, there are only about 100,000 internships (paid
and unpaid) in the country. The increase in U.S.-born teenagers not in
the labor force was 3.4 million between 1994 and 2007.
Discussion: The primary reason to be concerned about the decline in teenage employment is that research shows consistently that it is as a young person that workers develop the skills and habits necessary to function in the labor market. Poor work habits and weak labor force attachment developed as a teenager can follow a person throughout life. As a result, those who do not work as teenagers earn less and work less often later in life than those who were employed in their teenage years, especially those who do not go on to college.
Businesses have repeatedly argued that there are not enough seasonal workers. If seasonal workers were truly in short supply, the share of teenagers in the labor force would have increased significantly, not fallen dramatically. There is good evidence that immigration accounts for a significant share of the decline in teenage summer labor force participation. In many of the occupations where teenage employment declined the most, immigrants made significant job gains. Comparisons across states in 2007 show a strong relationship between the growth in the immigrant population and the decline in teenage employment. The finding that immigration is reducing labor force participation of teenagers parallels the conclusion of newly published working paper from the Washington, D.C., Federal Reserve, "The Impact of Low-Skilled Immigration on the Youth Labor Market."
The decision to allow in large numbers of legal immigrants (temporary and permanent) and to tolerate large-scale illegal immigration and to turn away from employing U.S.-born teenagers may be seen as desirable by some businesses. However, this policy choice may have significant long-term consequences for American workers as they enter adulthood. The potential impact of continued large-scale immigration on teenagers is something that should be considered when formulating immigration policy in the future.
The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institution which examines the impact of immigration on the United States.
-----
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The report, "A Drought of Summer Jobs: Immigration and the Long-Term Decline in Employment Among U.S.-Born Teenagers," can be found at http://www.cis.org/teen-unemployment
Among the findings:
-- The summer of 2009 was the worst summer ever experienced by U.S.-born
teenagers (16-19) since citizenship data was first collected in 1994.
Just 45 percent were in the labor force, which means they worked or
were looking for work. Only one-third actually held a job.
-- Between the summers of 1994 and 2000, a period of significant economic
expansion, the labor force participation of U.S.-born teens actually
declined from 64 percent to 61 percent. By the summer of 2007, before
the current recession, it was down to 48 percent.
-- The number of U.S.-born teenagers not in the labor force increased
from 4.7 million in 1994 to 8.1 million in 2007. In the summer of 2009
it stood at 8.8 million.
-- The severity of the decline is similar for U.S.-born black, Hispanic,
and white teens. The fall-off is also similar for teenagers from both
high- and low-income households.
-- Immigrants and teenagers often do the same kind of work. In the summer
of 2007, in the 10 occupations employing the most U.S.-born teenagers,
one in five workers was an immigrant.
-- Comparisons across states in 2007 show that in the 10 states where
immigrants are the largest share of workers, just 45 percent of
U.S.-born teens were in the summer labor force, compared to 58 percent
in the 10 states where immigrants are the smallest share of workers.
-- Looking at change over time shows that a 10 percentage-point increase
in the immigrant share of a state's work force from 1994 to 2007
reduced the labor force participation rate of U.S.-born teenagers by
7.9 percentage points.
-- Among the states with high immigration and low teen labor force
participation are Nevada, New Jersey, Georgia, Arizona, Texas, North
Carolina, California, and New York.
-- The most likely reason immigrants displace U.S.-born teenagers is that
the vast majority of immigrants are fully developed adults -
relatively few people migrate before age 20. This gives immigrants a
significant advantage over U.S.-born teenagers, who typically have
much less work experience.
-- Summer is the focus of this report; however, the decline in the
employment of U.S.-born teenagers is year-round, including a decline
during the other peak period of seasonal employment at Christmas.
-- Although there is good evidence that immigration is reducing teenage
labor market participation, other factors have likely also contributed
to this problem.
-- One factor that does not explain the decline is an increase in unpaid
internships among U.S.-born teenagers. High-income and college-bound
teens are the most likely to be in internships, yet teenage high
school dropouts and those from the lowest income families show the
same decline. Moreover, there are only about 100,000 internships (paid
and unpaid) in the country. The increase in U.S.-born teenagers not in
the labor force was 3.4 million between 1994 and 2007.
Discussion: The primary reason to be concerned about the decline in teenage employment is that research shows consistently that it is as a young person that workers develop the skills and habits necessary to function in the labor market. Poor work habits and weak labor force attachment developed as a teenager can follow a person throughout life. As a result, those who do not work as teenagers earn less and work less often later in life than those who were employed in their teenage years, especially those who do not go on to college.
Businesses have repeatedly argued that there are not enough seasonal workers. If seasonal workers were truly in short supply, the share of teenagers in the labor force would have increased significantly, not fallen dramatically. There is good evidence that immigration accounts for a significant share of the decline in teenage summer labor force participation. In many of the occupations where teenage employment declined the most, immigrants made significant job gains. Comparisons across states in 2007 show a strong relationship between the growth in the immigrant population and the decline in teenage employment. The finding that immigration is reducing labor force participation of teenagers parallels the conclusion of newly published working paper from the Washington, D.C., Federal Reserve, "The Impact of Low-Skilled Immigration on the Youth Labor Market."
The decision to allow in large numbers of legal immigrants (temporary and permanent) and to tolerate large-scale illegal immigration and to turn away from employing U.S.-born teenagers may be seen as desirable by some businesses. However, this policy choice may have significant long-term consequences for American workers as they enter adulthood. The potential impact of continued large-scale immigration on teenagers is something that should be considered when formulating immigration policy in the future.
The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institution which examines the impact of immigration on the United States.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
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