Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 show substantial work activity among 14- and 15-year-olds. From age 14 to 15, youths appear to shift more toward working in employee jobs and less in freelance jobs such as babysitting or yard work. Girls were more likely than boys to be working in freelance jobs, and whites were more likely…

Work experience at an early age has a positive impact on labor force attachment of different racial groups. However, racial gaps in employment that are present in the early teen years seem to continue into adulthood. (Author/SK)

Most workers who begin their careers in minimum-wage jobs eventually gain more experience and move on to higher paying jobs. However, more than 8% of workers spend at least half of their first 10 working years in minimum wage jobs. Those more likely to have minimum wage careers are less educated, minorities, women with young children, and those…

About half of 12- and 13-year-olds surveyed engage in some sort of work. Such work is more likely among youths from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and better school performance or among those who have engaged in risky behaviors or have been suspended from school. (SK)

Information based on a supplement to the January 1987 Current Population Survey provides statistics on occupational tenure by age, sex, race, employment status, occupation, and education level. Results indicated that men have worked longer at their current occupations than women, Whites longer than Blacks, and college graduates longer than the…