SENATOR SCHUMER PUSHES YOUTH SUMMER JOBS BILL

Senator Charles E. Schumer recently announced that he is working in support of The Youth Jobs Act of 2010, sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). The current youth unemployment rate of 21.5% is a threat to our nation’s broader economic recovery as an entire generation of young women and men see their talents wasted. This bill would bring the Capital Region $3,637,585.00 for youth employment and job training and build on the successful stimulus program from last year. A recent study by Northwestern University has shown that a dollar earned by a young adult translates into three dollars in economic activity. Overall, this bill translates into a $225,000,000 boost for New York’s economy from this bill.

“More than any time in recent memory, summer jobs for teenagers and young adults are going to be tough to come by this summer,” said Schumer. “That’s why we need to start taking critical steps to immediately address the problem - investing in summer jobs programs will not only ensure that kids and young adults have the proper training to join the work force, but will relieve stress on middle class families and is a proven way to jumpstart a local economy.”

“Putting young people back to work is a proven way to help the economy, and is a goal we should be aggressively pursuing,” Schumer added. A similar program included in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act used $1.2B in recovery act funding to create 300,000 jobs for unemployed youth. Here in Schenectady County, $392,457 was used under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to enroll an additional 230 at-risk youth in the 2009 Schenectady County Summer Youth Employment Program and expand the program to more than 520 participants, each receiving critcal workforce training and life skills including resume writing, banking and budgeting, financing, and college exploration.

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