The National Urban League and the advocacy work of our Affiliates on the Urban Jobs Act were the impetus for many of the local youth provisions that are now a part of the WIOA, as well as provisions for funding to non-profit organizations that operate effective workforce training programs. These include a focus on the needs of youth, aged 16-24, including high school drop-outs, and individuals with multiple barriers to employment, such as ex-offenders, youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system and the long-term unemployed.
Passage of this legislation represents a special victory for communities of color where unemployment continues to outpace the national average. In June, overall unemployment fell to 6.1 percent and the rate for Whites is now at 5.3 percent. But African-American unemployment remains in double-digits at 10.7 percent. The rate for Hispanics is 7.8 percent. Most disturbingly, African-American and Hispanic youth continue to experience extremely high rates of unemployment.
According to a joint statement from Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Fattah, “The average unemployment rate for minority youth in May was almost 24 percent for African-Americans and just over 12 percent for Hispanics. Approximately 5.8 million youth, or nearly 15 percent of 16 to 24 year olds, are neither employed nor attending school, and as a result not developing the skills, education and job experience necessary for quality jobs.”
Passage of the Urban Jobs Act provisions in WIOA will help reduce youth unemployment, strengthen our economy and give millions of young people of color access to the education and skills needed for success in work and in life. The legislation also complements the National Urban League’s extraordinary $100 million, 5-year Jobs Rebuild America initiative, which is bringing together resources from the government, business and non-profit sectors to help bring jobs and hope back to hard-pressed communities—reducing unemployment, creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity in 50 communities throughout the nation.
(Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.)
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