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Thomas D. Snyder
Indicator 30: Employment of College Students
| Figure 30. Percentage of 16- to 24-year-old full-time college students who were employed, by hours worked per week: October 1970 to October 2003 |
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| NOTE: College includes both 2- and 4-year institutions. Percent of students employed includes those with a job but not at work during the survey week. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October, various years, unpublished data. |
Full-time college students in 2003 were more likely to be employed than those in the 1970s and early 1980s. The percentage of full-time college students employed increased from 34 percent in 1970 to 40 percent in 1980 to 46 percent in 1990, with some apparent fluctuations, but no measurable change since 1990. In 2003, full-time students were also working longer hours than their counterparts in the early 1970s; 30 percent worked 20 or more hours per week in 2003 compared to 14 percent working the same number of hours in 1970. In addition, the percentage of full-time college students working 35 or more hours per week increased from 4 percent in 1970 to 9 percent in 2003. The percentage of part-time college students employed fluctuated between 1970 and 2000. Between 2000 and 2003, the percentage of part-time students who were employed declined from 85 percent to 79 percent. |
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