Speech #880082235

While the proportion of workers with less than 5 years of schooling fell during the past decade from 7.3 to 4.6 percent of the labor force. this 4.6 percent represents 3.1 million workers who are considered "functional illiterates" by the Government. See "Manpower Report." March 1963. pages 1213. By contrast. less than 1 percent of the immigrants to the United States are illiterate. Although the rate of unemployment is high among all young people. it is far higher for youngsters who dropped out of school before graduating. For example. 27 percent of the dropouts in 1961 were unemployed. as compared with 18 percent of the high school graduates.