Relationship between preferences for part-time work and characteristics of unemployed youths.

Using data from the March 1979 Current Population Survey, the relationship was examined between preferences for part-time work and the personal characteristics of 2,087 unemployed 16- through 24-year olds in the civilian, noninstitutional population of the United States. Age and school enrollment were found to be the strongest correlates of desire for part-time work. Gender, race, veteran status, marital status, and educational attainment were related only slightly to part-time job preferences. These data support the notion that most unemployed youths searching for part-time work are 16 to 19 years old and enrolled in school; on the other hand, knowing merely this does not indicate that youth unemployment has little economic significance, as some analysts have suggested. Additional research on the consequences of teenage labor market problems on subsequent adult well-being is needed to determine the significance of youth unemployment.