The Long-term Effects of Adolescent Work on Adult Socioeconomic Attainment

• In Event: 30665 - Children, Youth & Work

Abstract

We investigate the long-term benefits and costs of adolescent employment for adult socioeconomic attainment by analyzing prospective data from a cohort followed from ages 14-15 (1988) to 45-46 (2019). Using matching methods, we compare adult attainments (B.A. receipt, career acquisition, and wages) of youth who experienced varied “doses” of teenage work, based on its average hours and duration in months. Intensive adolescent work (averaging >20 hours per week) was positively associated with career acquisition and wages during the 5 years following high school, but these benefits dissipated with age. Intensive youth workers, compared to those who averaged moderate hours, were also less likely to have earned a BA. In contrast, youth who worked at high (vs. low) duration were more likely to acquire jobs viewed as “careers” and had higher wages through midlife. Thus, near continuous employment during high school promoted long-term socioeconomic attainment.

Authors

• Jeylan T Mortimer

• Jeremy Staff, Pennsylvania State University