In an effort to create employment opportunities for young people and reduce crime rates, the Boston City Council said it would collaborate with local business leaders to create jobs for youths and for people with criminal records, during a meeting at City Hall on Wednesday.
Councilor Chuck Turner (Roxbury, Dorchester) also said the lack of jobs was also an issue for recent college graduates.
“The fastest-growing group of unemployed people is those who have just graduated from college and have a degree,” Turner said. “Even those who have prepared to move forward in society are facing problems.”
Turner said high unemployment rates are correlated to the issues of crime, violence, affordable housing and drug abuse.
“In a jobless situation, the temptation to break the law is great, although the consequences are always present,” he said. “People who cannot find jobs will turn to illegal ways to support themselves. We need to rectify this by giving young people the hope of earning money and being productive citizens.”
Turner, who led the legislation for Criminal Offense Records Information reform, said there are not enough jobs for everyone who wants to work, regardless of CORI.
“We’re seeing the highest rate of youth unemployment ever,” he said. “Mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles are taking the jobs that kids used to take.”
Councilor Michael Ross (Back Bay, Fenway) said the Council should focus on creating jobs for people with criminal records.
“2.8 million of six million people in Massachusetts have criminal records,” Ross said. “If people cannot get jobs, they’ll find other ways to eat.”
But Councilor Paul Scapicchio (East Boston, Charlestown) said the city should try to create job opportunities for everyone.
“Massachusetts is the only state to have lost population in the last census,” Scapicchio said. “This is a very expensive state, and we have a 20 percent vacancy rate downtown.
“One of the assets we have here is our universities,” he continued. “We should be utilizing the resources at these institutions to make a concerted effort for job growth in the city, particularly in biotech and the life science.”
Councilor Maureen Feeney (Harbor Islands, Dorchester) said she agreed.
“We need to take care of both CORI and non-CORI residents,” she said. “Creating opportunities for kids to feel good about earning a living is a way for our city to move forward.
“But we must not simply bloat the city’s budget by creating jobs at City Hall,” she added. “We should be working with the private sector to stimulate growth.”
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