The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development’s new national survey of recent high school graduates from 2006 to 2011 finds:
– Only 27% have full-time jobs;
– Nearly one in three are unemployed and another 15% are employed part time but looking for full-time jobs;
– The annual earnings of those working full time are barely sufficient to keep them out of poverty;
– Ninety percent are paid hourly; the current median wage for those employed full time is only $9.25 — just $2.00 above the federal minimum wage; and
– Seven in ten say that their current job is temporary.
Fewer than 1 in 10 say that their high school education prepared them “extremely well” to get their first job or to be successful at it. Seven in ten believe they will need more education in order to have a successful career, but recent high school graduates are finding it difficult to achieve their goals. They report that economic issues bar them from additional education. Most who were unable to attend college or who dropped out either say they could not afford it or they had to work to support themselves and their family.
For more information, contact Professor Carl Van Horn, vanhorn@rutgers.edu(732) 932-4100, ext. 6305, Professor Cliff Zukin, zukin@rutgers.edu (732) 932-4100, ext. 6205, or Herb Schaffner, Schaffner Media Partners (973) 715-5922.
Copies of Left Out. Forgotten? Recent High School Graduates and the Great Recession are available at: