Following is a statement from Rebecca Dixon, president & CEO, NELP, on the release of the May 2026 U.S. jobs report
“Young workers are entering this labor market at an especially difficult moment. They are facing recession-level unemployment for their age group, and struggling to find good jobs whether they have a degree or not. Today’s jobs report shows that the unemployment rate for young Black workers ages 16 –19 rose dramatically to 23.9% from 14.8% in May of 2025.
“The underlying numbers in this month’s jobs report may go underdiscussed now, but they are a warning sign of tomorrow’s economy: when young workers are shut out today they aren’t able to build essential job skills, and our future workforce will pay the price. Our unemployment insurance system was not built to address these seismic structural shifts. Congress should pass the Unemployment Insurance Modernization and Recession Readiness Act, including a jobseekers’ allowance, to provide modest, temporary support to graduates and other jobseekers while they search for a good job, addressing root causes now instead of waiting for the symptoms.”
