A federal report of high unemployment among teens is something that most teens in South Florida or parents with teenage children can easily attest to.

Last week a report from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the incidence of unemployment was significantly higher among teens than adults. According to the report, the national jobless rate for teens in May was 26.8 percent compared to 23.6 percent in May, 2009. This rate compares to that of 9.4 percent for adult men over 20, and 7.8 percent for adult women.

Seventeen year-old Mikhail Smart, who resides in Margate, has been unable to land a holiday job for a second consecutive summer. He admitted he really started looking for a summer job a few weeks before the 2009 summer break, but this year started looking from February, and despite personally calling on over 30 different businesses and completing and leaving application forms, he was unable to get even one call to come in for an interview. His 19-year-old sister, Jada, graduated from High school last year and was fortunate to get a three-month job with a department store in Coral Springs. However, she has been job-hunting ever since September of 2009.

Representatives of Workforce agencies in Palm Beach and Broward counties said that in recent months, teens, mostly high school graduates, have joined the horde of unemployed adults who have been seeking jobs through the agencies.

“These young people are desperate,” said Muriel, an employee of a Workforce office in Fort Lauderdale. “Normally the youngsters would get jobs in fast-food restaurants, and department stores, but since unemployment is so high among the adults, they have no reservation in taking these jobs, making it more difficult for the teens.”

Riviera Beach community activist, Cheryl Adube, who focuses on working with the youth to ensure they are not distracted by anti-social behavior, is concerned about the weak job market for teens. She said, “The public and private sector in South Florida must find solutions to ensure the youth get gainful employment and keep off the streets, if there is not to be a surge in youth related behavioral problems very soon. I am aggressively lobbying for a regional employment initiative to be implemented to provide even part-time jobs at state minimum wage for teenagers.”

The government, earlier this year, allocated funding to some states, including Florida to expand their summer job program. To date there is no indication if, and how many, Floridian teens have received jobs under the expansion of the program.