Youth Employment Helps Develop Ohio's Next Generation Workforce
- Jun 29
- 4 min read
Ohio's children and youth represent one of our state's greatest assets. Young people ages 0-17 comprise nearly 22 percent of Ohio's population, and approximately 700,000 Ohioans between the ages of 14 and 24 make up nearly 15 percent of the state's workforce (Business Journal, 2025). Every summer, thousands of these young people take their first steps into the workforce, gaining much more than a paycheck. They develop confidence, build essential life and workplace skills, explore career interests, and begin establishing financial independence.
These early work experiences have lasting value not only for young people and their families, but for Ohio's economy.
Last week, my nephew began his very first job at McDonald's at just 16 years old. He has always been a respectful and responsible young man from a hard-working family who believes in having a strong work ethic. But within only a few days of working, there was a noticeable difference in him. He was spending less time playing video games and more time thinking about work schedules, earning money, and saving for things he wanted. His perspective shifted almost immediately as he began to understand the value of hard work, responsibility, and financial independence. His experience serves as a reminder that a first job often becomes a young person's first lesson in adulthood.
Research continues to reinforce what many parents, educators, and employers already know. Youth employment helps young people develop workplace readiness skills, strengthens academic motivation, improves self-esteem, and reduces idle time that can lead to negative outcomes. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Trendlines, more than 6.6 million youth ages 16 to 19 were employed this June, representing approximately 37 percent of that age group. While youth labor force participation declined significantly during the early 2000s as school attendance increased, participation has steadily rebounded in recent years. Summer employment remains one of the most effective strategies for preparing young people for long-term success.
For many Ohio youth, employment opportunities begin in three industries that have traditionally welcomed first-time workers: accommodation and food services, retail trade, and health care and social assistance. These positions often require no college degree, yet they provide invaluable opportunities to develop communication, teamwork, problem-solving, customer service, and leadership skills that transfer throughout a lifetime. More importantly, these jobs help young people earn income, build confidence, and envision a future filled with opportunity.
Despite these benefits, access to meaningful youth employment remains uneven. Limited municipal budgets, reductions in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding, transportation challenges, and barriers to employer participation continue to limit opportunities for many young people, particularly those living in underserved communities. Expanding youth employment opportunities should remain a statewide policy priority supported by strong public-private partnerships and sustained government investment.
Across Ohio, Community Action Agencies, nonprofit organizations, OhioMeansJobs centers, workforce development partners, and the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Industrial Compliance are working collaboratively to ensure more young people have access to employment opportunities and understand the requirements necessary to enter the workforce safely and legally. These partnerships provide career readiness training, financial literacy education, work experience, and supportive services that help break the cycle of poverty while preparing the next generation of workers.
Programs such as the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) provide targeted workforce and education services for low-income young adults ages 14 through 24. Simultaneously, the Ohio Department of Commerce helps remove barriers by educating employers, youth, and families about Ohio's Minor Work Permit requirements, ensuring young workers begin employment safely and successfully.
Community Action Agencies across Ohio along with other nonprofit organizations demonstrate how local partnerships create meaningful pathways to employment.
In Northeast Ohio, Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) has spent more than four decades preparing teens and young adults for successful careers through summer employment, internships, credential training, and workforce readiness programming. Each year, nearly 2,000 young people receive direct employment services, while thousands more participate in workforce preparation activities that position them for long-term career success.
Similarly, OUCAN’s member agency, Lorain County Community Action Agency partners with the Lorain County Workforce Development Agency and OhioMeansJobs Lorain County to provide paid work experience and career development opportunities for youth ages 16 to 24 through programs at the Ronald Nabakowski Youth Center. These partnerships illustrate how Community Action Agencies serve as trusted local leaders in preparing Ohio's future workforce.
Investing in youth employment also strengthens communities.
Across the nation, communities are grappling with increased youth violence and highly publicized "Teen Takeovers" – large gatherings organized through social media that have, at times, resulted in violence and public safety concerns. While communities appropriately consider curfews and enhanced enforcement, prevention must also remain part of the conversation. Young people themselves have consistently expressed that boredom, limited opportunities, and a lack of safe spaces contribute to these situations.
Meaningful employment, mentorship, structured activities, and positive relationships with caring adults provide productive alternatives that reduce idle time while fostering responsibility, belonging, and hope. Employment alone is not the solution to youth violence, but it is a critical component of a comprehensive prevention strategy.
As Ohio communities continue discussing public safety, workforce shortages, and economic growth, we must also recognize youth employment as an investment rather than simply a seasonal program. Every young person who earns a first paycheck is gaining far more than income—they are building character, learning responsibility, developing workplace skills, and creating pathways toward lifelong self-sufficiency.
At OUCAN, we remain committed to reducing poverty, expanding economic opportunity, strengthening families, and helping Ohioans achieve lasting self-sufficiency. Supporting youth employment advances each of these goals. It strengthens our workforce, creates safer communities, promotes economic mobility, and builds generational prosperity.
Ohio's future depends upon the opportunities we provide today's young people. By continuing to invest in Community Action Agencies, workforce development programs, employer partnerships, paid internships, apprenticeships, and year-round youth employment initiatives, we invest in a stronger Ohio for generations to come.
Youth employment is not simply about summer jobs, it is about building the next generation of workers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and engaged citizens. That is an investment Ohio cannot afford to overlook.
References
Business Journal. October 2025. Report: Ohio’s Jobless Rate Highest Among Young Adults
Ihlenfeld, Charlie. Southall, Megan. June 2026. Miami Valley News
YouthWorks program helps teens overcome summer job barriers
Trendlines Employment and Training Administration. July 2025. Issue No. 10. Youth
WYSX-ABC6. 'Teen Takeover' breaks out in fights, shuts down church event. June 2026.
WSYX Staff. Columbus City Council to vote on youth curfew after violent incidents.
June 2026.
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