Posted on 06/12/2012 10:19:34 PM PDT by Qbert
Add to the list yet another reason why President Obama’s assertion last week that “the private sector is doing fine” is woefully out of touch with what's happening in America.
Fewer than three in 10 American teenagers now hold jobs such as running cash registers, mowing lawns or busing restaurant tables from June to August. The decline has been particularly sharp since 2000, with employment for 16-to-19-year olds falling to the lowest level since World War II.And the statistics for minority, low-income teens are even grimmer. Blacks, Hispanics and teens in lower-income families were least likely to be employed in summer jobs.
Hispanics in families making less than $40,000 faced difficulties (19 percent employed), while middle-class black teens with family income of $75,000-$100,000 did moderately better, at 28 percent employed. For African-American teens whose family income was less than $40,000 a year, 14 percent are employed, compared to 44 percent of white teens with family income of $100,000-$150,000.
Teen employment may never return to pre-recession levels, suggests a projection by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In fairness, many teenagers will no doubt spend their entire summer in school, attending camps, or on vacation. But what about the millions of Americans who want – or, in some cases, need -- a summer job? The unemployment statistics are sobering, to put it mildly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, as noted in the article, more than 44 percent of teenagers who want summer jobs can’t get hired or are forced to work fewer hours than they prefer. Further, just 29.6 percent of 16-to-19 year olds secured a job last summer. This is appalling.
Not only are young Americans feeling the painful effects of this administration’s failed economic policies, but they’re vying for positions in an ever-shrinking and increasingly competitive labor market.
Older workers, immigrants and debt-laden college graduates are taking away lower-skill work as they struggle to find their own jobs in the weak economy. Upper-income white teens are three times as likely to have summer jobs as poor black teens, sometimes capitalizing on their parents' social networks for help.
“The free enterprise system does not leave people behind,” Senator Marco Rubio reminded conservatives during a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and library last August. “People are poor and people are left behind because they do not have access to the free enterprise system.” This truism, for some reason, has always stuck with me. Indeed, I believe one of the greatest challenges of our time is creating an opportunity society where all Americans -- regardless of race, class, gender or age -- can excel and pursue their dreams. But for now, we desperately need a new president in the White House who understands how to grow the economy and create jobs -- after all, millions of American teenagers are counting on it.
Two words.
Illegal Aliens.
In my neighborhood there are boys, 14 years old and up, who ring doorbells to cut your lawn, weed your garden, sweep your porches. They pass out their resumes :)
There’s one guy who has a bicycle carrying all his car washing equipment. You pay for the water and he does the rest in your driveway.
The South rocks !
That could well be.
But the teens I know would never consider doing work that illegals do. That is not a testimony to illegals..it is a statement on teens (some, not all).
The 76 year old man that mows my yard had his grandson helping him. That was great while it was cool. It has gotten hot and humid...the grandson is “busy” all of a sudden. Not that it matters, but neither the mowing grandfather nor his “busy” grandson are not American.
I think the situation is more complex than what the article presents. Speaking anecdotally, teens don’t seem to be as interested in summer jobs as my generation was. A lot of teenagers, especially males, seem content to spend the summer sitting at game consoles.
Sorry..they are American.
Forgive the boast, but all three Big Truck daughters (16, 14,
and 12) are gainfully employed throughout the summer and
beyond. No strings pulled or favors asked - they applied and
interviewed for every job they have. $8/hr 15-20 hours a week
all summer. Hours will be adjusted when homeschooling starts
in August, but they will still be available to work some school days and Saturdays. I am one pleased dad.
A lot of teenagers, especially males, seem content to spend the summer sitting at game consoles.”
Only because their parents let them. I asked four different teenage boys in my neighborhood if they would be interested in mowing my small yard this summer. Quick and easy $25 a week and I know several neighbors would also hire them. Three said no, the fourth said, “Maybe you could ask my dad if he would want to do it when he mows our yard”.
Ask at church.
“all three Big Truck daughters (16, 14,
and 12) are gainfully employed throughout the summer and
beyond.”
May I ask what they are doing? Jobs for 12 and 14 year olds, especially, are very restricted (at least in California).
Having employed many teen workers in earlier times, I have determined that the present crop does not have the tools nor the proper attitude to justify my time and money.
I won’t take that bet. :)
And you are right, they were not taught.
Sorry..they are American.
Neither A nor B not American == A && B are American
"Everything's cool, everything's cool all the way around."
Minimum wage, government rules against youth employment, government welfare paying people not to work do not help.
Many young people today have grown up in an environment where no one works for a living. They have no adults who are employed to set an example for them.
The culture they learn from teaches them how to live off the government, how to play the race card and/or the victim card.
That's true, but there are an awful lot of 30-year old White waiters at Red Lobster and similar places.
May we ask why you are asking ?
The summer I was 15 I mowed separate lawns, caddied at the local golf course and when a local garage business wanted to build a small brick storage building next to the garage, I helped dig out the foundation with a shovel. There was a small family run “drive in” near the garage and I carried out the garbage, moved heavy boxes, etc, for the occasional “free” lunch meal.
I was physically fit, had cash in my pocket and a few bucks in the bank
But that was in the days when kids actually went outside the house in the summer...
My son who is 18 has Aspergers an upper level autism, he has been in a foster care home for the last 3 years, this summer after his school season was over I started bringing him to work with me.
My job is operations supervisor of a small family owned concrete batch plant, my duties are quite diverse from actually driving the concrete mixer to any and all phases of fleet maintenance.
So Joe basically cleans up shop and assists me with special projects that never end, such as the owners who pay me to rebuild the roofs and interiors of their motorhomes, converting an older tractor to a 10 yard dump and even building a high wheelbase swamp style hunting buggy.
All of Joes friends have no work, there just isn’t anything for them. I keep track of his part time hours and I keep that money for him as he has poor money management. To my employer he is basically a volunteer, but every day earns him experience, a skill and he is building an inner confidence to keep a work routine schedule.
Like repairing this Class C motorhome, it had extensive wood rot in the front roof and the left overhang and shelf bed over the cab, we had to actually peel the roof back and strip everything out, all the styrofoam and sheating right down to the skeleton frame, it was all full of mold.
He was initially intimidated by the size of the project but I asked hime this, “How do you eat an elephant?”
I told him, “One piece at a time”
So this may not work with most young men but if possible bring your teenager to work or get them to volunteer somewhere. My employer is tickled pink for having his RV rebuilt at a fraction of the cost of being sent to an actual RV shop, my skills are just as good as they are even with me learning some new things in sandwich panel construction, the types of woods, the adhesives and such.
But at every opportunity I share a tidbit of my knowledge with JOe, like how to read a calipe, how to select a faster from grade 8 to SAE, how to rivet aluminum and how to measure, measure again, cut fit, maybe cut again, final fit of assembly. And most important how to use hand tools and some power tools.
Two weeks ago he actually change a steering tire on a Kenworth with a very large tire gun. Sure beats him sitting at home all day playing Xbox.
Many young people today have grown up in an environment where no one works for a living. They have no adults who are employed to set an example for them.
The culture they learn from teaches them how to live off the government, how to play the race card and/or the victim card."
Most insightful post. The value system taught by the left through the school system and government dependency programs is actively hostile to blue collar work. Further, the open borders, amnesty, look the other way government immigration programs further push out any American citizen youth who might want an entry level job.
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