Alice Kassens, John S. Shannon Professor of Economics at Roanoke College, recently co-authored a blog post for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis that was featured in a CNBC report. Kassens, a research fellow at the St. Louis Fed’s Institute for Economic Equity, along with colleagues William M. Rodgers III, Nishesh Chalise and Nicole Summers-Gabr, examined economic struggles for young adults.
According to their report, more than one-third of 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States reported having no salary or wages. Many of these young adults are classified as “NEETs” or “not in employment, education, or training,” the article says, and these disconnected youth could face long-term economic disadvantages that would affect the workforce and economic growth.
The blog post includes extensive data that were analyzed by geography, race and ethnicity to further understand commonalities of the disconnected youth population in the United States. The CNBC article concluded by sharing tips for breaking into the workforce, including updating resumes and connecting with former employers or colleagues on LinkedIn.
In addition to the CNBC article, Kassens’ involvement with this research, she was quoted in a front-page Richmond Times-Dispatch article about proposed interest rate cuts and their impact on Virginia voters. The article mentioned Kassens’ work with Roanoke College’s Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) about consumer sentiment and expectations.