The Washington PostLeisure days spent lolling around New York without commuting hassles or work demands may sound enviable to harried New Yorkers. But many of the city's teenagers and young adults have more New York minutes to kill than they would like.
A Northeastern University study shows that New York has more teen-agers and young adults who are out of work and out of school than any other place in the country. In 2001, the city had 220,000 unemployed people between the ages of 16 and 24, most with little education beyond a high school degree. That translates into 1 in 5 in that age group.
``The economy has hit them a lot harder than any other age group,'' said Andrew Sum, the study's author and director of Northeastern's Center for Labor Market Studies. ``They're not working, and they're not in school. The more you're out of work and out of school, you are going to pay an enormous price for the rest of your working life.''
Youth workers say that many students drop out because they have trouble passing the city's high school graduation requirements. For the students who land entry-level jobs, lack of education often limits them from moving on to a better-paying job.
``You use jobs developmentally to sort of launch yourself in different areas,'' said Virginia Cruickshank, who runs a South Bronx youth services program. ``Educationally, they're behind their peers, and it's going to take them years to catch up.''
