Teens face tough summer job hunt
As the school year winds down and kids' thoughts turn to summer fun, they may find themselves hard-pressed to pay for it without a summer job, something that is becoming increasingly scarce. This year's summer jobs will be the hardest to get since the 1940s, according to a recent study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. The study found that last year, the summer employment rate for teens was the worst in post-World War II history; roughly 35 percent of teens held jobs in the summer of 2007, compared to 37 percent in 2003 and 45 percent in 2000. Even between 2003 and 2007 when nationwide employment levels rose, the number of employed teens continued to fall, and the numbers look bleaker this year. Losses in employment at the national level for the first quarter of 2008 suggest that teens hoping to land summer work may struggle. John Dickinson is a sophomore at Sterling High School. He said he's thankful for recently landing a telemarketing job at Focus Communications in Rock Falls. "It was hard getting a job this year other than Focus. I turned in 20 or 25 applications before I got it," Dickinson said. Scott Pless, a golf pro at the Rock River Country Club, said the pro shop has hired fewer workers this year than normal. Last summer, the course had a staff of 12 and has since downsized to eight. "We've brought on less, but had more applicants," Pless said. Pless said the cutback has made work more demanding for his staff but the change seemed welcomed. "Same service, just fewer numbers of people," Pless said. "(We're) giving fewer kids more hours... (but) they're all for it with price of gas nowadays." Some employers, however, do not seem to notice a change. Brian Kranig, a manager at Menards in Sterling, said employment there is steady. "I really haven't seen a huge influx of applications or anything other than normal. We retain our people here fairly well. Reach Chase Castle at 815-625-3600 or 800-798-4085, ext. 521.
