From the original article "Work Experiences of Wyoming's Youth," written by Carol Toups with research by Lee Saathoff (Wyoming Labor Force Trends, July 1997).
In 1990 the USDOL began the School-to-Work (STW) program. STW programs focus on project-based learning, often requiring students to keep a minimum grade point average or attendance record while providing actual workplace experience.
The research questions in "Work Experiences of Wyoming’s Youth" ("Work Experiences"(1)) are of importance to educators, parents, and students:
Some interesting findings from this study are: males expand the variety of industries in which they find employment over time, while females seem to predominately start out and remain in two of the lowest paying industries, Retail Trade and Services (see Table 1).
The researchers state that "one point stands clear: more young women consistently start in the lowest paying industries of Retail Trade and Services, and also remain in them." In contrast, as male age increases, so do their numbers in different industries, such as Construction, Mining, Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade, and Transportation, Communications, & Public Utilities (see Table 2).
On a positive note, the Department of Employment, Research & Planning section, produces some publications to aide students with career information. This Wyoming Career Explorer is designed to help high school students, teachers, parents, and returning students to make informed career decisions. Another publication, What Does the Future Have in Store for Wyoming’s Labor Market? describes which industries and occupations are expected to grow and decline.
Research & Planning has publications such as this article on our Internet address which is continually updated and enhanced. Educators are encouraged to make full use of this free resource on labor market information and to share their findings with students and the community.
This innovative research was completed at a very low cost as much of the data used in the analysis was already collected. The results can be used to implement changes and improvements for the youth of Wyoming. Some publications to inform young people about career options, growing industries, and wages for various occupations is available free from Research & Planning or is available on our Internet address. For other available research on gender differences in wages and wage increases, the reader is referred to the last article in this publication entitled "Gender, Tenure and Wages: A Summary and Important Conclusions."
An innovative study by Research & Planning demonstrates a serious problem for some Wyoming youth: the first employment for many young women seems to set the trend for future expectations and they do not always venture out of the low paying Retail Trade and Service industries. An important goal for junior/senior high schools is to broaden the training and education for future employment of young women for jobs in all industries, especially those that will be in demand and pay well. The researchers, Carol Toups and Lee Saathoff, suggest that the future expectations and horizons of young women in Wyoming need not be limited to being a waitress, hotel maid or cashier. However, previous work experience at a younger age, in any industry, may later improve chances for success in landing a job. To assist educators and parents, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) are providing some programs to help high school graduates to make a successful transition to entering the labor market. These programs are designed to assist high school graduates, especially those not attending college, to obtain the necessary skills to enter the labor market.
These questions are answered in this study. "Work Experiences" may be read in its entirety in Wyoming Labor Force Trends (July 1997). This study of youth work experience was based on the ages eighteen (18) to twenty (20), which is a representative sample of the larger population of youth in this age group. It has a strong sample with approximately ninety-two percent (92%) of the population of youth from ages 18 to 20 represented.
Table 1: Divisions Worked by Female Youth Ages 18-19-20 Years Age Division 18 19 20 Total Not Working Count 857 924 1,216 2,997 % within Division 28.6% 30.8% 40.6% 100.0% Agriculture Count 14 28 24 66 % within Division 21.2% 42.4% 36.4% 100.0% Mining Count 17 28 37 82 % within Division 20.7% 34.1% 45.1% 100.0% Construction Count 24 36 48 108 % within Division 22.2% 33.3% 44.4% 100.0% Manufacturing Count 64 56 77 197 % within Division 32.5% 28.4% 39.1% 100.0% Transportation, Communications,
& Public Utilities Count 19 36 27 82 % within Division 23.2% 43.9% 32.9% 100.0% Wholesale Trade Count 21 25 33 79 % within Division 26.6% 31.6% 41.8% 100.0% Retail Trade Count 1,375 1,325 1,202 3,902 % within Division 35.2% 34.0% 30.8% 100.0% Finance, Insurance,
& Real Estate Count 43 62 84 189 % within Division 22.8% 32.8% 44.4% 100.0% Services Count 671 743 762 2,176 % within Division 30.8% 34.1% 35.0% 100.0% Public Administration Count 77 109 96 282 % within Division 27.3% 38.7% 34.0% 100.0% Division Information Unknown Count 0 3 0 3 % within Division 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% 100.0% Total Count 3,182 3,375 3,606 10,163 % within Division 31.3% 33.2% 35.5% 100.0% Table 2: Divisions Worked by Male Youth Ages 18-19-20 Years Age Division 18 19 20 Total Not Working Count 1,116 1,153 1,524 3,793 % within Division 29.4% 30.4% 40.2% 100.0% Agriculture Count 61 82 72 215 % within Division 28.4% 38.1% 33.5% 100.0% Mining Count 98 157 213 468 % within Division 20.9% 33.5% 45.5% 100.0% Construction Count 303 448 451 1,202 % within Division 25.2% 37.3% 37.5% 100.0% Manufacturing Count 110 149 169 428 % within Division 25.7% 34.8% 39.5% 100.0% Transportation, Communications,
& Public Utilities Count 52 62 72 186 % within Division 28.0% 33.3% 38.7% 100.0% Wholesale Trade Count 62 91 93 246 % within Division 25.2% 37.0% 37.8% 100.0% Retail Trade Count 1,228 983 884 3,095 % within Division 39.7% 31.8% 28.6% 100.0% Finance, Insurance,
& Real Estate Count 28 20 21 69 % within Division 40.6% 29.0% 30.4% 100.0% Services Count 498 534 504 1,536 % within Division 32.4% 34.8% 32.8% 100.0% Public Administration Count 126 112 119 357 % within Division 35.3% 31.4% 33.3% 100.0% Division Information Unknown Count 0 4 1 5 % within Division 0.0% 80.0% 20.0% 100.0% Total Count 3,682 3,795 4,123 11,600 % within Division 31.7% 32.7% 35.5% 100.0%
These pages designed by Gayle C. Edlin.
Last modified on April 4, 2001 by Valerie A. Davis.