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What Happens When American Teenagers Can't Find Work
National Journal ^ | April 9, 2014 | Nancy Cook

Posted on 04/09/2014 12:32:34 PM PDT by C19fan

Most Americans love to reminisce about their first paying job, whether it was scooping ice cream, babysitting, or working behind a retail counter. It was rarely glamorous, but earning that first paycheck was a point of pride and marked a milestone in a teenager's life.

By the time Andrew Sum entered his teenage years, he'd already held a job delivering newspapers. Now as an economist, one of his chief concerns is the state of the labor market for today's teenagers. The employment rates for teenagers, ages 16 to 19, plummeted from 45 percent in 2000 to just 26 percent in 2011, according to Sum's recent research for the Brookings Institution. That's the lowest rate of teen employment in the post-World War II era.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: andrewsum; immigration; teenagers; work
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To: TexasFreeper2009

I worked at Barnes & Noble last year - most of the kids were some of the most hard-working kids I’ve ever met. Most of them were self-educated, working-class kids (with a love of books and media) and they were GREAT. Many young Americans are hard-working and very polite. I much prefer them to our seniors who seem to think we owe them a...discount.


41 posted on 04/09/2014 1:53:09 PM PDT by miss marmelstein (Richard Lives Yet!)
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To: C19fan

You know what the Rat’s solution to high unemployment is, don’t you? Raise the minimum wage!


42 posted on 04/09/2014 2:04:37 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Haven't you lost enough freedoms? Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: C19fan

deliver papers - illegals
roofing - illegals
dry-wall - illegals
farming - illegals
Micky D’s, BK, Taco Bell - 90% illegals
theater ticket taker - 60% illegals

EVER WONDER WHY THE KIDS HAVE NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS...?

Too many freepers simply wave all young people way and it’s a DISSERVICE to Conservativism.


43 posted on 04/09/2014 2:32:20 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: C19fan

About 5 years ago I lost my 18 year career job. I uprooted the family and moved 500 miles for a new one. My two adult daughters moved back as soon as they could. They are roommates with two other girls. Both are working full time. None are career type jobs but they are willing to work


44 posted on 04/09/2014 2:42:48 PM PDT by cyclotic (Hey BSA-I'm gone. Walk Worthy-traillifeusa.com)
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To: C19fan
I believe labor laws also contribute to the problem. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it is more expensive (liability-wise) to hire someone under 18 .... and that the hours they can work in terms of number and curfew-wise are restricted.

I'm sure those laws were passed "for the children" .... but now no one wants to hire them.

45 posted on 04/09/2014 2:48:02 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: TexasFreeper2009
lazy, high, entitled, and tattoo'd up ... I can't imagine why they can't get a job...

I've got a friend in the furnace repair business. Even though he's getting up in years, he still works alone. No helpers or apprentices. I once asked him why that was so.

His answer? You guessed it. He couldn't find any young person who wasn't lazy, high, entitled, and tattoo'd up.

46 posted on 04/09/2014 3:15:11 PM PDT by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

It has nothing to do with that and everything to do with legal and illegal immigration.

Most teenagers today do not have tattoos or piercings or use drugs. That’s minority that has been around for decades now. Just as many teens fell into that category in 2000, when the teen employment rate was almost twice as high.

According to available data, way fewer teens use drugs today than in the late 70’s era when Obama was was pothead. They didn’t have trouble getting jobs then if they wanted one.


47 posted on 04/09/2014 3:40:26 PM PDT by Monmouth78
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To: faithhopecharity

Even Napoleon Dynamite had a summer job. Here he is having lunch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGMLt1duqhg


48 posted on 04/09/2014 5:49:06 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (The zombies here elected alcee hastings. TERM LIMITS ... TERM LIMITS)
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To: bicyclerepair

Ha. Have had worse at some restaurants.


49 posted on 04/09/2014 6:19:06 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ((Brilliant, Profound Tag Line Goes Here, just as soon as I can think of one..))
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To: Monmouth78

this study here says that nearly 40% of young people now have tattoo’s

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/forum/tattoos-a-generational-badge-for-young-adults/article_20fb467c-3ed5-56e4-9722-47fbb6a8ea09.html

And this recent study shows that nearly 60% of young adults have tried pot

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/06/03/pew-almost-half-of-all-american-adults-have-smoked-pot/


50 posted on 04/10/2014 9:16:24 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

60% have tried it. In 1980, 60% reported using it in the last month.

My point still stands that this tatoo/peircing stuff is not much worse than it was 10 or 15 years ago. It’s not why so few teenagers have jobs now.

BTW, I hate tatoos and avoid businesses with tatooed employees.


51 posted on 04/10/2014 10:45:07 AM PDT by Monmouth78
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To: Monmouth78
I was a teenager in the 1980’s

And sure there were a few ... punk types with tattoo's and who wore black a lot and wore weird makeup. But they were just a small fringe group.

Now it seems like around half of the young adults look like complete freaks. But it's not just that, they also don't want to actually work for their pay.

I can't count how many times some doped up white kid (guy or girl) with tattoo's and piercings covering every inch of their body approached me looking for work. I wouldn't trust these people to walk my dog, much less let them into my business or home to do various manual labor jobs that I usually need done. Plus, even if I did have pity on them (every once in a while I have to re-learn this lesson) they wont actually work. They just sort of just shuffle around making it look like they are doing something when they are not taking a smoking break, texting, or talking on their phones. This is especially true with lower class whites. I can get more work out of a random Mexican in an hour than I can one of these people in an entire day.

52 posted on 04/10/2014 12:33:27 PM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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