by Terri DeeIllinois News Connection
CHICAGO - Summer jobs are a boost for companies needing seasonal help. But Black and Latino youths are not seeing the opportunities come their way.
A report by the University of Illinois-Chicago Great Cities Institute has found these teens face
fewer job prospects than white applicants.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security indicates 16 to 24-year-olds have had
the highest unemployment rate among all age groups - including those at retirement age - since 2017.
Great Cities Institute Research Assistant Samantha Sepulveda Santos said some neighborhoods are struggling more than others.
"We can see," said Sepulveda Santos, "that the highest percentages of joblessness among students in Chicago - which is 93% - were found in areas in the South and Southwest. In Hilton, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Fuller Park, and Back of the Yards."
Recovery time from pandemic-related shutdowns in the Chicago Public Schools system was slower than other area districts, according to the report.
Sepulveda Santos said she believes this data supports the necessity to implement programming for equal employment opportunities.
The report claims more than 163,000 16 to 24-year-olds in Chicago are unemployed and not enrolled in high school or college.
Sepulveda Santos acknowledged that competition is harder for these youths to enter a trade school to receive technical training for in-demand jobs - which could contribute to higher disparity numbers.
"And another factor we allude to as well is that not all people have the same opportunities," said Sepulveda Santos. "Not all people have the same networking, the same preparation for cover letters, for interviews. Most people have a leg up to be able to ask an aunt, an uncle, a neighbor for a job, as other people do."
The institute is seeking funding for a youth employment training program to teach teens about applying for jobs and being productive workers upon hire.
The study also suggests if Illinois spent $300 million on youth employment, crime rates could be reduced.
Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show in July 2023, the unemployment rate nationwide for Black youth was 18%, nearly 11% for Latinos, and 7% for white youths.
Hall, who earned the District 4 title in Iowa two weeks ago, beating state champion apprentices from 10 other states, will be back in action next month when will go head-to-head against six other district champions from around the country in Ann Arbor, MI.
“It was a very tough competition and it was time-limited, so it was pretty stressful,” Hall said. “The competition was so good, I really thought any one of those other guys could’ve won it. Then I won and was just in disbelief for a couple of hours after that.”
Hall and the competition were tested on plumbing knowledge and skills, including a project involving a mocked-up wall needing pipes and water lines. Certified training directors then graded the work of the state champions from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Hall will now go up against five other district champions.
“Every day is like a puzzle and you have to figure things out,” he said. “I really enjoy it.”
In addition to winning the district championship, Hall recently graduated from Local 149’s five-year apprentice program, where he and 26 other apprentices spent 240 hours in class and 1,700 hours on the job each year. Employed at United Mechanical in Champaign throughout his apprenticeship, the June graduate travels the country as a journeyman plumber.
