Posted on 09/06/2009 1:22:01 PM PDT by chuck_the_tv_out
Yesterday's Employment Situation Report from Uncle Sam's Bureau of Labor Statistics had lots of dismal news.
One of the bigger disappointments, but sadly not one of the bigger surprises, is that the teenage unemployment rate reached an all-time seasonally adjusted high of 25.5%.
People who know even a little bit about economics should understand why, but an oddly titled New York Times blog post by Catherine Rampall took a pass on realistically trying to explain it: Oh What a Time to Be Young!
Pity the unemployed, but especially pity the teenage unemployed.
According to today’s job report, the overall unemployment rate (the percentage of people in the labor force not working but looking for work) in August rose to 9.7 percent, its highest level in 26 years. The teenage unemployment rate, however, is at 25.5 percent, its highest level since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track of such data in 1948.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
Bastards.
Who is going to want to hire a snot nosed, entitled, call out, no call no show kid at a higher minimum wage when they can have an all grown up, college educated, responsible, hardworking but out of work adult flip those burgers and clean those floors? It is not hard to understand supply and demand for most of us, but its a real wake up call to the former group up there.....
Actually, college graduates aren’t getting those jobs either. Most managers don’t like hiring them because they represent a threat to their jobs. And this unemployment rate has also been doctored just like the U3 rate. I suspect real teenage unemployment is far higher.
We wouldn't want to post numbers from the same month now would we.
Unemployment caused by the minimum wage statute: is this the “social justice” that Cardinal O’Malley praised Teddy Kennedy for? Just wondering.
I was talking about real live adults, out of work, like me. I was an administrator for a non profit until the economy killed it, now I unload trucks at a big box retailer for under 8 bucks an hour. The store used to be full of part time hs and college students, now its full of people like me, and we got hired at less than what the few teens are making to boot. Supply and demand. Managers are hiring folks like us before teens because of reliability, work ethic, and alot of them know we have teenagers to feed, we are not looking for date night money.
Some of the important parts that didn’t make the excerpt;
The federal minimum wage was increased to $5.85 on July 24, 2007;
to $6.55 on July 24, 2008;
and to $7.25 on July 24, 2009.
In July 2007, teenage unemployment was at 15.1%.
By August 2008, it was at 19.2%.
Now we’re at 25.5%.
Supporting minimum-wage increases is considered one of the things the late Sen. Ted Kennedy “got right.”
No mention of the other cause?
Illegal immigrants grab the jobs teens used to work. The minimum wage wasn’t a problem because grown ups worked grown up jobs, leaving the lower end jobs to kids.
But with a permanent adult workforce “the working poor” made up of people who will never, ever move up the income chain, teen (and minority) unemployment will remain high.
He did to minority and teen employment what he did to Mary Jo.
I’ll be honest, and I say this as someone who has done hiring though never for minimum wage, I would never hire anyone with a college degree for a minimum wage job. You’d basically have to know me personally and have to beg me. Simply put, even taking what you said, someone with a degree will be disgruntled if they have to work minimum wage (or I think so at least) and so I would view it as a discipline problem.
Now you probably are a great employee I’m just saying how I view it on my end. I was fortunate that I invested well and got out at the right time. However, I also busted my ass 80 hours a week pretty much from the time I graduated college till a few years ago. I earned my early retirement though I really hate this for my kids who are now getting to college and who may be going for naught if the economy stays as bad as I expect it to for the next few years.
Let the kids cut grass and work fast food places.
I think illegals take plenty of jobs from Americans, I'm not sure that they take that many from teenagers. Most teenagers aren't cleaning hotel rooms or butchering chickens, pigs and cows or working construction jobs.
I think that on the margins, illegals are taking some jobs from teenagers in the food-service industry and perhaps are taking work from the rural teenagers in the picking of seasonal crops and such.
But, illegals aren't working at your pools, amusement parks or local retailers, big-box or otherwise. Many of these jobs, especially the retail jobs, are being filled by adults who've lost their more gainful employment opportunities.
When I was a teen back in the 80s, the food court was staffed almost entirely with teens. We had year-round schools with three "tracks" so there was always a third of the teens not going to school at any given time who could work during the day (I don't know why they ended this).
Walk into any mall today and it is rare to see teens working. Food court staff is almost all immigrants (legal and otherwise). Many college grads are entering the workforce without ever having punched a time clock or so much flipped a burger, or, most importantly, taken orders from a supervisor.
Could it be so high cause they are back in school. Not all teens go to school and work.
Some of the things our government tracks amazes me. But then how else can they sell their craptopia.
Who can afford to pay a TEENAGER $280 a week for anything?
Have you seen them work?
I have noticed a little better service in the malls though as the little snots actually have fear about losing their jobs (and $280 per week is a LOT to a teenager)
I am not a college grad. I was in restaurant management for several years right out of high school. I then married @ 22, and was a stay at home mom for the better part of 16 years. I do understand your perspective, and I prefer your attitude to the smug jerk manager routine who looks down his nose at those of us without a college degree even though I know intellectually I could run circles around him.
Once the kids were all out of elementary school, hubby started his own business, and I was his office admin/manager/whatever other hat was needed ( I even went into the field with him to do installs and commercial duct installation). The company didn’t have a chance, we started it in 2006 as the market was crashing. We held on for 3 years, but are now in a difficult spot. We would never file bankruptcy, as it was our decision and we will deal with the bills, but in this enviroment, as a self educated person and hard working, I don’t have a “marketable skill” with proof (degree,certification etc) to get anything better at this time.
My faith and my work ethic will keep me from being any type of problem, but my body (just turned 42 yesterday, and I have a few issues) is screaming right now. God is good, and he gives us nothing we cannot handle. I am thankful for what I do have, and that helps me keep my perspective.
I am ALWAYS happy to hear about a person who made it out! Congratulations! It is people like you who inspire those of us in the trenches to keep it up because there is light at the end of the tunnel! Best wishes and prayers for your children in this market. My oldest is a certified personal trainer and doing well with it, my middle boy enters seminary next fall to be a Catholic priest, and my youngest is finishing accelerated homeschooling to graduate at 16 so he can begin his schooling for computer repair and game design. Hopefully things will be a bit better by then.
God Bless!
So, 70 cents an hour is why people aren’t hiring teenagers? Good, maybe the cheap employer b*st*rds will have to get off their miserly bottoms and mop floors themselves.
parsy, who says minwage increases are good.
Also illegal aliens are to blame.
I see most of your post 13 as untrue. Most of it.
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