Labor Market Problems of Teenagers Result Largely From Doing Poorly in School

GAO was requested to investigate the extent and severity of the teenage unemployment problem, including an analysis of the: (1) significance of the high rate of teenage unemployment; (2) size and characteristics of the group of teenagers in need of help; (3) causes of teenage unemployment and labor force participation; (4) racial differences in teenage unemployment and labor force participation; (5) effects of teenage unemployment on future labor-market opportunities and criminal behavior; and (6) mix of services needed to combat these problems.