Teens Face Worst Summer Job Market in 41 Years

Where all those teens will go? well while many people were against Acorn and the government for creating volunteer groups and trying to make our youth into some kind of "Obama soldiers" I rather prefer this young ones busy doing something productive than roaming the neighborhoods looking for trouble.

Jobs traditionally given to teens are apparently going to older workers who are willing to take low paying job to make ends meet. Employment among 20- to 24-year-olds grew by 270,000 in May, an unusual spike, considering that employment in the same age group fell by 261,000 in May 2009.

"Also impacting the job market for young adults are the large number of older adults who are willing to accept even a temporary, seasonal position simply to generate some income," said Steven Rothberg, chief executive officer of CollegeRecruiter.com, an online entry-level job-posting site.

www.cnbc.com...

Not jsut American youth, in the UK we have the term NEETs not in Education, employment or Training, and now the summer holidays loom for those in education and training (my son has a 6 week break from training) I am really not sure what'll happen to them...

Same I guess applies ot most Western countries... going be a tough summer..

I hope the volunteer thing works out for you in the US

reply to post by thoughtsfull


No only the summer but this trend is going year around, when you see adults and head of families falling for minimum wage jobs because is nothing else to support the families this increases the ranks of food stamps and welfare in the US even when this people are working.

So figures coming from the government that shows job growth is joke as more of this people are now draining the welfare system while working

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by thoughtsfull

 

No only the summer but this trend is going year around, when you see adults and head of families falling for minimum wage jobs because is nothing else to support the families this increases the ranks of food stamps and welfare in the US even when this people are working.

So figures coming from the government that shows job growth is joke as more of this people are now draining the welfare system while working

I know it is dreadful... We are still bleeding jobs and I am not sure how some people are actually surviving.. even the traditional childrens jobs around here like delivering newspapers are taken by adults to supliment their income.. and last winter was the first time I've seen people chop down the trees in the commons to keep warm.. that is simply not something that happens.

They could always go work for the govt! That's where all the jobs are being "created".

If they don't mind working one hour a week (and what teen wouldn't?) they could get a job at the census.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


Yes, we have seen a trend around our neck of the woods of more people sitting on the side of the road with their families in their cars and signs asking for help.

But then down the road is construction full of "illegal immigrants workers" then I wonder, what is wrong with this picture?.

There is absolutely nothing better known to man than being a teenager and spending an idle summer hanging around doing nothing much productive, they'll form rock bands, smoke some weed, set fire to themselves a few times, stay out until 4am for no good reason, sleep until 3pm, mess about a bit, get bored, go swimming, play video games and annoy their parents.....lucky little mooching brats.

If their parents have raised them well enough that they'll get a summer job, chances are they've been raised well enough to behave reasonably well.

As far as it goes, I feel bad for the people who feel the need to do a teens job to make ends meet. The teens will be fine.

[edit on 9/6/10 by pieman]

reply to post by jjkenobi


Yes, the problem is that teens depend on local small businesses for jobs, federal funded jobs right now are going to adults head of family, small business are also hiring adults no teens and many are not hiring at all.

Some states has change the age for work when it comes to teens to 16 from 14.

reply to post by pieman


But we know that many of our teens are home alone most of the time with no parental supervision as their parents hold two or more jobs.

That is going on in my neck of the woods, as the summer get hotter so the tempers around, crime surges usually during the summer.



[edit on 9-6-2010 by marg6043]

Marg..we are seeing this in Canada as well.
There are more ads for teens looking for work than jobs available.
Most are pleading needing money for college tuition.
I live in a college town, and many students had planned to stay here and work for the summer months, but the jobs are not here, and housing costs are double what they are south of us.
People are leaving and going where the jobs and affordable housing are.
A quick look at the Government job bank in my area, may bring up about 100 jobs posted for a city of 56,000. Most of those are not for younger people without experience though.
If I check south, a city of the same size brings up over 300 job hits.
Many of them pay above min wage, and housing costs are half there.
We are getting screwed where I live.
I keep urging my older kids to go south..might just follow suit myself.

[edit on 9-6-2010 by AccessDenied]

reply to post by marg6043


When I look at how hard it is just for myself to keep stable employment, I cannot imagine being 16 and absolutely no work experience. I actually feel really bad for them.. when I was that age what I made over the summer pretty much had to last me the entire year. Had to pay for everything from movie tickets to beer.

Then again.. I feel even worse for new College graduates.. I know way to many people who graduated this year and have no jobs waiting for them, two of my friends are architects and they will basically be earning the equivalent of minimum wage for the foreseeable future.

reply to post by marg6043


Also.. one thing I think the Government SHOULD do .. is pay all these unemployed workers (especially since the vast majority laid off are men) to go down to the gulf and scrub some birds, clean up some beaches.. I know if they paid at least $500 a week I'd be down there in a heartbeat shovel and gloves in hand.

reply to post by marg6043


As far as I'm concerned, a good kid left at home all day might feel bored and neglected and steal a bottle from the cabinet or have a punch-up with their best friend but they're probably not going to go out and pull a bank job or start mugging old ladies.

The surge in "crime figures" is probably as much to do with hot, sweaty cops feeling cranky and inclined to bust anyone who looks at them wrong as it has to do with an increase in crime. The cops will see something happening which they'ld let slide if it meant going out into the cold and rain of November and they'll bust everyone in a half mile radius in July. I'll bet that if you look at the figures behind the headline, there isn't much of a rise in serious crime.

reply to post by Rockpuck


There's no way an idea that good would be taken seriously by anyone involved in the political system, they might be called something ugly, like competent.

[edit on 9/6/10 by pieman]

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by thoughtsfull

 

Yes, we have seen a trend around our neck of the woods of more people sitting on the side of the road with their families in their cars and signs asking for help.

But then down the road is construction full of "illegal immigrants workers" then I wonder, what is wrong with this picture?.

That's a very sad and damming picture you paint...

As much as people complain about lazy folks, it simply not true.. it has always amused me my local regimental song has the lines

For we're the men from Sussex, Sussex by the sea,
We plough and sow and reap and mow, And useful men are we:

It says something very deep about the human sprirt that even when they where marching off to war, they hold onto the feeling of being a useful human being... It is so important, for self worth etc to have that feeling..

I really do not feel the majority of people want to feel anything but useful, and that their lives have value.. and afraid the kids will learn as I did growing up in Thatchers Britain, that we, the youth where worthless.

Off the back of the sentiments in those lines, the locals here went into open rebellion in the 1830s over the issue of mass under-employment.. drowing in debt servitude they rebelled. many thousands arrested, hundreds, sentanced to death, and led to the largest mass deportation in Britians history..

I fear we might repeat those events if the establishment does not do something to fix the problems everyone faces.

[edit on 9/6/10 by thoughtsfull]

Teens?..
Quite a few folks. I had a back to work session on Monday there (incredibly patronising and slightly soul destroying), and I couldn't help but notice a guy who turned up in a pretty snazzy suit! I felt the worst for him in a weird way.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


You know I wonder if is because you have to have an address to hold a job and this families looking for help live in the cars, or business as usual try to hold to lower cost hiring illegals and pay them under the table and no benefits.

But I am honest, in front of my residential area is two construction sides, one is a shopping mall and Publix and the other one is a CVS pharmacy both to ope at the end of the summer.

Most of the workers so far are immigrants, beside the white collar workers that are not migrant.

Then like I say, why you see a family down the road asking for "help" while these two construction side obviously are hiring immigrants.

I don't get it.

reply to post by Rockpuck


Actually it was news on that one, the new generation lost, educated 4 year degree and more people working minimum wages, then you most ask, where is this all heading in our nation.

When a 4 year degree still doesn't guarantee that you will be out of welfare.

They could babysit. That has always been something I did as a teen. They could work at an amusement park. Worlds of fun hires mostly teens and only a few adults to supervise.
They could also mow lawn or walk dogs.

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by thoughtsfull

 

You know I wonder if is because you have to have an address to hold a job and this families looking for help live in the cars, or business as usual try to hold to lower cost hiring illegals and pay them under the table and no benefits.

But I am honest, in front of my residential area is two construction sides, one is a shopping mall and Publix and the other one is a CVS pharmacy both to ope at the end of the summer.

Most of the workers so far are immigrants, beside the white collar workers that are not migrant.

Then like I say, why you see a family down the road asking for "help" while these two construction side obviously are hiring immigrants.

I don't get it.

It's manipulation of the system... I am sure those who live in cars or other such unidentified locations have no way of being represented, not just in the Welfare system, but also in society in general.. they live outside the system, which is really sad.

The worst part of a welfare state is when the state creates the rules that hold the person accepting welfare in a trap, while not being able to earn enough to get out of the trap... and I guess the same rules of being trapped apply to those who live in cars and outside the system.

In one way the rules that bind and trap us also free the illegal migrant worker to do as they please, as they are not bound by the same rules..

....I've been thinking about this topic and I gotta say...I agree with PIEMAN.....let the kids lounge.

In the US we indoctrinate our youth into the "work hard and long for more pay" mindset quickly. Be productive, make money....blah blah blah.

Let kids be kids. They should hot have to worry about making ends meet. Parents get to worry about that.

My father was on layoff through the summer many times. He made ends meet and let me be a kid. When I wanted money, I did my damnedest to do work around the neighborhood for other people.

Whoever invented the idea of a 40+ hour work week, working weekends and holidays......should be shot......