Youth Employment

Nearly all young people—98.6 percent—hold at least one job between the ages of 18 and 25.

The average young person holds 6.3 jobs between 18 and 25.

Some work part-time or summers only, while others see full-time permanent employment as their path to economic independence.

Employment can be beneficial for youth by teaching responsibility, organization, and time management and helping to establish good work habits, experience, and financial stability.

There are many advantages to working during high school, especially for low-income youth, including higher employment rates and wages in later teen years and lower probabilities of dropping out of high school.

Knowing how to find and keep a job is not only critical for admission to the adult world but also is an important survival skill for which there is little in the way of formal, structured preparation.

Lead Agency for the MyCom Network Youth Employment: Youth Opportunities Unlimited

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) is a nonprofit workforce development organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. For over 40 years Y.O.U. has served teens and young adults ages 14-24 living in under-resourced areas in Northeast Ohio.

Y.O.U.'s mission is to prepare teens and young adults to become economically self-sufficient contributors to building Northeast Ohio’s educated, skilled and inclusive workforce.