Current Status
Ongoing, Impacted by COVID-19
Activity In 2021
3,503 jobs were provided through Hire Houston Youth out of 9,487 applicants, which is an increase from 2020. These numbers have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beyond 2021
The goal is to provide 20,000 jobs in 2022 provided COVID restrictions allow.
Related Initiatives
Why Provide Summer Jobs Through Hire Houston Youth?
To become more resilient, Houston’s economic growth must benefit everyone, enabling all Houstonians to build wealth and save for their futures. Increased financial capacity and stability for families and small businesses enable Houstonians to better prepare for and recover faster from shocks and stresses that disproportionately impact those with limited financial resources. Providing Houstonians with the right tools and resources can support generational wealth building. In the short term, we can support Houstonians by building financial literacy, facilitating access to financial services, encouraging the development of more living-wage jobs, and supporting the growth and development of small businesses. In the long term, we can better position Houstonians by training a workforce for the future, focusing on new curriculums and vocational programs as well as enhanced pathways to emerging industries. Collaboration with the private sector is critical to bridging the current disconnection between living-wage jobs and those in search of sustainable employment. In 2022, Houston plans to invest and focus on enriching the Hire Houston Youth program by providing more STEM-based jobs, green jobs and real-time job trend needs with a special emphasis on BIPOC youth. Starting in 2023, the Mayor’s Office of Education aims to develop a full “youth life cycle” providing wraparound services for opportunity youth 16-24 years old, and build a platform to connect resources to needs of young people. In 2020, 1,881 jobs were provided through the Hire Houston Youth program out of 5,921 applicants. In 2021, we observed a significant increase in jobs provided, which will need to be increased by another sixfold to meet our continued program milestone of 20,000 jobs in a calendar year.
- 2021 Data Source
- COH Mayor’s Office of Education