Chicago youth joblessness rates outpacing national average, new study reports

• Not having jobs can turn kids to other pursuits, including gang activities and street violence.

By the numbers: The report, written by University of Illinois Chicago Great Cities Institute and commissioned by the Alternative Schools Network, shows that the city's jobless rate for Black teens is worse than the national average.

• In 2022, the jobless rate for Black 16- to 19-year-olds living in Chicago was 86% — more than 16% higher than the national average for that same demographic.
• To compare, white Chicago teens had a jobless rate of 76%, which is 16% higher than the national average for white teens.
• The rate in some Black neighborhoods was as high as 92%.

Stunning stat: The jobless rate gap between teens on the city's South and West sides, which are predominantly Black neighborhoods, and teens in suburbs like Schaumburg was stark, up to a 40% difference.

• If you factor in 20-to 24-year-olds, Illinois had 163,081 out-of-school and jobless young adults in 2022, which is about the equivalent of the population of Joliet. Some 45,000 of those were in Chicago alone.

What they're saying: "Despite an overall rebound in employment levels in Chicago since the pandemic, recovery has been uneven among different racial and ethnic groups in Chicago," said Great Cities Institute's Matthew Wilson said in a statement.

Between the lines: Youth jobs have long been seen as a deterrent for gun violence. In 2017, a study showed a 43% drop in violent crime arrests among teens who participated in Chicago's summer job program.

• During Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration (2011-2019), the mayor made teen jobs a huge priority with the "Once Chicago Summer'' program, even recruiting downtown businesses to pay for it.

Yes, but: Since then, the number of 17-and-under homicide victims has risen, including a spate of several killings last fall.

Caveat: This study looks at data from 2021 and 2022, before Brandon Johnson, who has prioritized finding opportunities for teens, was elected mayor.

What's next: This year, the city has expanded One Chicago Summer to offer jobs to 28,000 city teens.