Posted on 06/04/2005 6:57:27 PM PDT by Tarantulas
Fewer jobs for teens this summer - Unemployed less prepared for real world, report says
2005-06-03
by Jamie Swift
Journal Reporter
The scarcity of summer jobs for young people in King County and across the country has reached a crisis level, according to a report on youth employment released Thursday.
Nationally, less than 37 percent of teenagers are expected to be able to find jobs this summer. That's down from 47.5 percent in 1989 and last year's 42 percent, the lowest in the 57 years such data has been collected.
In King County, employment among teens 16-19 dropped 28 percent from 2000 to 2003, the report says.
"We're calling it a crisis,'' said Kris Stadelman, CEO of Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, an independent nonprofit that completed the 16-page youth employment report.
More students dropping out
Compounding the job shortage, the report says, more students than ever are dropping out of high school, prompting experts to predict that American workers of tomorrow will not be prepared to compete in a global economy.
According to the report, the low-pay, low-skill jobs that have historically gone to high school students are now held by recent immigrants -- adding 1.8 million people to the workforce since 2000 -- older workers returning to the job market, and jobseekers who can't find work in their fields due to the sluggish economy.
"They're competing with elderly people to work at McDonald's,'' said Melinda Giovengo, manager at the Youthsource career training center in Renton, which primarily serves local high school drop-outs.
A Youthsource student, 18-year-old Ny'neshea Ray of Tukwila, said she's been frustrated by her summer job search.
"They don't have much jobs for older people now, so they're trying to take our jobs,'' said Ray. "Nobody really wants to hire us (young people). They don't think we're responsible enough.''
Public funding decreasing
Another factor contributing to the job shortage is a shift in public funding away from summer job programs for youth, Giovengo said. It wasn't long ago, she said, that King County had a summer work program that offered jobs to 300 young people; now that's down to just 18.
Wendy Hurst, career specialist at Kentlake High School, doesn't know the statistics, but she's noticed the trend. The number of postings on the summer job board at the high school has decreased year after year, she said.
"It's not just summer jobs,'' she said. "When I first got into this (six years ago), our graduates were walking out of here getting manufacturing jobs making $15 or $16 an hour. That's just not happening anymore.''
Young people from low-income families will be hurt most by the job shortage because they don't have the established networks that middle- and higher-income kids do.
"In a tight market, the network is key,'' Stadelman said. Teens from higher-income families "have a broader network to link into jobs that are available to kids.''
Working teens from upper and middle income families also earn significantly more money (nationally, an average of $12.39/hour) than working teens from low-income families ($6.90/hour).
The significance of the spiraling drop in summer jobs goes far beyond the fact that fewer young people will have money to see a movie or pay for car insurance, Stadelman said.
Teens who don't work in the marketplace are less prepared for the real world, thus creating a less competitive American workforce, Stadelman said.
Young adults of today will be expected to replace the workers of the Baby Boom generation, "some of the best educated and most productive workers in our history,'' Stadelman said.
"Where are those kids going and what are we going to do when they're our workforce?'' Stadelman said. "How do you cope with that drop in education level and competitiveness of your workforce?''
But it's even more than that, she said.
"Those first jobs really shape us,'' Stadelman said. "It helped us decide what we were good at; what we hated; and that school was more important than we thought. You find out the rules of work: show up on time, be respectful, and to work as a team.''
By way of helping to solve the job shortage, the Workforce Development Council report suggests connecting employers with young people, increasing public investment in youth work programs, and providing more rigorous coursework in schools.
Jamie Swift can be reached at jamie.swift@kingcountyjournal.com or 253-872-6646.
THE REPORT
View the youth employment report in its entirety at http://www.youthatwork.info/
Other articles about summer jobs referenced on MSNBC:
Summer job time
Low unemployment rate boosts summer jobs in Quincy area.
Fewer jobs for teens this summer - Unemployed less prepared for real world, report says
The scarcity of summer jobs for young people in King County and across the country has reached a crisis level, according to a report on youth employment released Thursday.
Teens seeking work face fierce competition
While the economy has added more than 3 million jobs over the past 18 months, teens are likely to have a tough time finding work this summer, experts say. By Martin Wolk.
Teen Job Market Warming Up This Summer
The summer job scene for area teens is brighter this year than in recent summers, when the employment market was so weak that teens had to compete with many adults for jobs, experts said.
Attention teens: In search of a summer job?
The good news is, it's not too late to get one. Jeff Allen, founder of SummerJobs.com, says there are still jobs out there. He offers some tips to help you get your search in gear.
Summer youth employment
School is almost out and you know what that means; time for teens to land those summer jobs.
They took our jobs! (South Park reference)
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RIDICULOUSLY HIGH MINIMUM WAGE
Well illegals or no illegals my kid better find a summer job!
It's not just about immigration or illegal immigration. It's about free trade/outsourcing policies gone overboard, which have decimated this entire economy to the point where people who once worked in skill positions are now fighting for these service jobs that high schoolers once used to take. It's all part of a giant chain reaction.
And we have our own economic policies to blame for it.
We looked for a summer-only nanny for our 3 boys, and we were inundated with resumes from recent graduates with teaching degrees...unable to find a teaching position, so ready to settle for $400 a week watching kids (and okay, tutoring my autistic middle son). We had young women in their mid-20s literally begging us to hire them.
My 18 year old daughter has been looing for a job for two months with no luck. This girl is a National Merit Finalist, well mannered, attractive, and fluent in Spanish (we're in Texas). As soon as prospective employers learn she'll be leaving for college in August she's shown the door. Same thing is happening with her friends. Nobody here wants to train and hire for summer help -- they want permanent employees. She's applied at every restaurant in town, WalMart, grocery stores, retail, etc. The temporary agencies don't seem to have any listings that don't require some experience. Meanwhile she's picking up some spending money babysitting.
"looing" = looking
Fingers are faster than the eyes.
They need to come work in the Bush of Alaska. Lots of jobs out there I here. I think many teaching students suffer from lack of willingness to move. I can't say I blame them. There are lots of jobs out there but you have to move to get them sometimes.
One fast food place in my area has only young people working the counters. No worker over thirty in sight. Even the manager looks younger than thirty. Talk about age discrimination.
How far are teens willing to go for jobs these days? When I was a teen, teens went to farms to work day labor, or to resort areas to work as maids, busboys, waiters or waitresses, and for the lucky ones, lifeguards.
Teens who wanted to stay home mowed lawns, babysat, whatever.
I don't see teens going after those jobs these days. I see more of them looking for internships in office situations.
Seasonal jobs have never been attractive to adult Americans. I find it hard to believe that the problem for teens is illegals. I think it's just as likely that the teens don't want these jobs.
After all, in this "sluggish" economy are millions of American workers fleeing to Mexico and Canada for jobs?
I note that the very media that has for years encouraged and aided illegal aliens is now starting to wring their hands at the results. Liberals should heed the saying, those who benefit eventually replace their benefactors. Los Angeles is a shining example.
And so does our manic obsession with promoting free trade policy, especially within this party.
Totally agreed.
Unemployment is a labor surplus. Shortages and surpluses are price phenomena, not supply phenomena. You could have a surplus of BMW's by pricing them at $100,000 each, you could have a shortage of same by pricing them at $10.
Back in my hometown area the Burger King is advertising for help wanted at $9/hr. Unemployment is ~2.7% in the region.
The boy/teen I have mow my lawn every other week is now 17...he's done it faithfully for the last 5 years.
He's told me he'll continue to do it, at least until he finishes high school.
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