New Data: Oregon's Teen Unemployment Rate Tenth Highest in Nation at 27.4 Percent

Minimum Wage Hikes at Federal and State Level Will Only Worsen Teen Jobs Crisis

Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Today the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) called attention to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing Oregon, at 27.4 percent, has the tenth highest teen unemployment rate in the country as of the end of 2013. Nationally, teen unemployment has been above 20 percent for over five years.

In light of a recent Congressional Budget Office report showing that a half-million entry-level jobs would be lost if the federal minimum wage was increased, these new data on the teen jobs crisis suggest that it’s a uniquely bad time for a wage hike.

EPI has released updated state-by-state teen unemployment figures on MinimumWage.com, with data going back to 2011. The table below provides teen unemployment rates for the top ten states and Washington, D.C., with breakdowns for men and women where available.

Michael Saltsman, research director of the Employment Policies Institute, released the following statement regarding the new analysis:

Teens in Oregon and across the nation are still suffering through an extended period of high unemployment and difficult job prospects. Unfortunately, President Obama and Oregon politicians like Brad Avakian are trying to raise barriers to a job via a minimum wage hike rather than reduce them.

Entry-level jobs that pay minimum wage are a valuable first rung on the employment ladder. Young people who hold jobs early on see a positive effect on future career earnings. Unfortunately, those who miss out reduce their chances of finding work in the future.

According to EPI’s state-by-state breakdown, the worst ten states for teen unemployment are as follows:

Rank	Location	Teen Unemployment Rate	Male	Female
--	Washington, D.C.	34.2%	41.1%	28.9%
1	Mississippi	32.3%	**	22.8%
2	Tennessee	31.9%	35.6%	27.2%
3	Arkansas	31.6%	33.3%	**
4	Georgia	31.4%	33.8%	28.9%
5	Washington	30.6%	29.4%	32.0%
6	California	29.8%	34.0%	25.6%
7	Arizona	29.4%	29.8%	28.9%
8	Nevada	29.0%	28.2%	29.9%
9	Illinois	28.3%	30.8%	25.7%
10	Oregon	27.4%	29.5%	25.4%
	Note: Oregon tied with South Carolina for 10th Place
	** Data Unavailable from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: www.epionline.org.