In its fifth annual report for 1979, the National Commission for Employment Policy recommended that the nation make a new commitment to improving the employment prospects of disadvantaged youth. In preparing its findings and recommendations on youth unemployment, the commission received information from the Youth Task Force; academic consultants; public and private agencies; public hearings held in Detroit, Memphis, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles; and the Vice President's Task Force on Youth Employment. The principal findings and recommendations of the commission are the following: (1) while most young people are able to make the transition from school to work without undue difficulty, many, especially minorities, high school dropouts, and low-income persons, face serious difficulties; (2) only through intensive programs, such as the Job Corps, that provide a broad range of services including educational remediation, skill training, and placement can we hope to reverse the cumulative disadvantages that these young people have faced since birth; (3) presently available funds for disadvantaged youth should be used to encourage a closer linkage between schools and local employers; and (4) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should encourage employers who are seeking to expand their proportion of minority and female employees by directing them to the youth who complete remedial education and skill training; and (5) the federal government should explore the possibilities of including in contracts commitments from employers to hire job-ready disadvantaged youth. The commission also noted that a sustained high level of general employment is necessary to provide employment for disadvantaged persons and that the country should work to increase employment levels. (KC)