LOS ANGELES—On Monday, February 27, Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti met with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Delta Airlines and local business leaders to celebrate the achievement of his 2016 Hire LA Youth Initiative’s goal of hiring 15,000 young people. Since 2013, his Hire LA’s Youth Initiative has placed more than 43,000 young people with summer jobs. His goal is to add another 5,000 jobs through this program by 2020.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to earn a paycheck and gain skills that will put them on a path to prosperity,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I will keep raising the bar and setting our sights higher — because HIRE LA’s Youth is an investment that pays off in their lives today, and holds the promise of a brighter future for our city and the entire region.”
The mayor has made job creation a staple of his term as he has overseen an increase of 100,000 jobs since he took office in 2013. The unemployment rate in Los Angeles has dropped to 5.7 percent under his leadership, almost half of what it was when he became mayor four years ago. Studies show that for young adults ages 20-24, those who worked at least 13 weeks in the previous year had a 30 percent higher chance of employment than those without any work experience.
Hire LA’s youth works by partnering local employers with young people between the ages of 14-24 registered through the program. Those who are part of the program can receive help writing a resume, or preparing for an interview. The program offers mentors and potential sponsorship for the youth. Anyone interesting in the program can find out more information here.
