Over one-third of young workers in the COVID-19 labor market are underemployed: Underemployment rates in the spring of 2019 and 2020, by age, gender, and race/ethnicity
| Group | Ages 16–24 (2019) | Ages 16–24 (2020) | Ages 25+ (2019) | Ages 25+ (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 15.2% | 19.8% | 5.8% | 12.5% |
| Men | 16.4% | 17.6% | 5.5% | 11.8% |
| Women | 13.9% | 22.2% | 6.1% | 13.4% |
| White | 13.3% | 17.2% | 4.9% | 11.0% |
| Black | 24.2% | 17.9% | 8.8% | 13.2% |
| Hispanic | 15.3% | 24.8% | 7.5% | 16.9% |
| AAPI | 11.1% | 28.3% | 4.5% | 14.4% |
Notes: Underemployment is the share of the labor force that either 1) is unemployed, 2) is working part time but wants and is available to work full time (an “involuntary” part-timer), or 3) wants and is available to work and has looked for work in the last year but has given up actively seeking work in the last four weeks (“marginally attached” worker). Underemployment rates are compared using a pooled average of April, May, and June data in each year. Racial and ethnic categories are mutually exclusive. Hispanic refers to Hispanic/Latinx of any race while white, Black, and AAPI refers to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and non-Hispanic Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, respectively.
Source: Economic Policy Institute Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.9 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org.