LWC director: State’s long-term teen employment outlook ‘much brighter’

Responding to a Daily Report article from Tuesday that highlighted a report that ranks Louisiana as having the nation’s eighth-highest unemployment rate among teens aged 16 to 19, Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink says the long-term jobs picture is brightening for the state’s teens. Eysink says the state’s teen unemployment rate—which stood at 27.5% at the end of July, compared to the 23.8% U.S. average—is following a larger national trend due primarily to the recession. “Naturally, people who are the least educated in the workforce—which includes most teens—suffer a disproportionate effect,” he notes, adding, “The long-term employment outlook is much brighter today for Louisiana’s teens.” Looking ahead, Eysink says, Louisiana teens will benefit from “our improving high school dropout rate, higher rates of dual enrollment by high school students, and massive enrollment increases in community and technical colleges over the past several years.” —Steve Sanoski