As we move into late July, cities across the country are ramping up their summer youth employment programs (SYEPs) to help connect young people to the labor market.
Summer jobs programs are typically one of a city or county’s highest-profile youth employment programs. They usually last five to seven weeks and provide work opportunities to teens and young adults who might otherwise struggle to find jobs. They offer a paycheck, employment experience, and other organized activities in the service of multiple goals: increasing participants’ income, developing young people’s skills and networks to improve their labor market prospects, and offering constructive activities to promote positive behavior. Most SYEP positions are subsidized and in the public and nonprofit sectors, although some cities also secure unsubsidized and private sector placements
Our new research on Boston’s summer jobs program adds to the growing evidence base of the benefits of SYEPs—most notably around crime and academic outcomes. This new research focuses specifically on youth in private sector job placements, and finds positive effects on attendance, course performance, test scores, high school graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment.
Although not all youth benefit equally from SYEPs, they can provide transformative experiences that help level the playing field for marginalized groups. And since young people sign up in large numbers (programs are often oversubscribed), they offer a tremendous...
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