teen-job2.jpg
Nationwide job figures show that summer employment for teenagers is off to its best start in six years. But the good news is tempered with the fact that a lot of teens have quit trying for summer work. (AP Photo/file)

Many teens have quit looking for summer work

BY Tim Haeck  on June 6, 2012 @ 6:46 am (Updated: 1:57 pm - 6/6/12 )

Nationwide job figures show that summer employment for teenagers is off to its best start in six years. But the good news is tempered with the fact that a lot of teens have quit trying for summer work.

May is considered the first month of the teen summer hiring season. U.S. Labor Department statistics show that 157,000 teenagers, ages 16-to-19 got hired in May, double the number in May last year.

Despite the improvements, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says a growing number of teenagers are abandoning the summer job market.

Marlena Sessions, executive director of the Workforce Development Council of King County said that's one tragic result of the recession.

"What we're actually seeing is this great recession has not been an equal opportunity recession when it comes to 16 to 24 year olds," Sessions said.

Although she doesn't have specific numbers, she says large numbers of teenagers have stopped trying to find summer work.

"These are young people who, in many cases, they didn't work last summer, they didn't work the summer before, and some of them are waking up at age 20, never having had a summer job," she said.

Sessions said summer jobs help teenagers gain valuable work experience. For many, that's been lost, despite the good early summer jobs numbers this year.

"While it's great to see, in general, more jobs out there, certainly in service industries, retail, food service, things that we think are great summer jobs and first jobs for young people it's going to be difficult even for a young person who's a little more mature now to compete if he or she has never worked before," Sessions explained.

Bank of America and Expeditors International are among the companies supporting summer employment for youth with grants for jobs and skill training.

Federal stimulus dollars for jobs creation from the Recovery Act of 2009 are long gone and the King County Workforce Council is urging other local companies to find a way to hire a young person this summer, or at the very least offer an internship or participate in a mentoring program to help young workers build their resumes.

Tim Haeck, KIRO Radio Reporter
Tim Haeck is a news reporter with KIRO Radio. While Tim is one of our go-to, no-nonsense reporters, he also has a sensationally dry sense of humor and it will surprise some to learn he is a weekend warrior.
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Comments (27)


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  • Oly80 wrote...
    way to drop the ball again...
    June 6, 2012 6:54 am
    PARENTS.

    as soon as i was able to work during the summers, my PARENTS REQUIRED ME to get a summer job.

    i've had one ever since.

    when i was a kid TEENAGERS ran the fast food places in my town, AND the movie theater... and most of the other minimum wage jobs. now that's all going away, and it's really a shame. the kids aren't getting the experience that they should have and are even MORE unprepared for real life.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Vepo wrote...
    All I know
    June 7, 2012 4:53 am
    is that teens do not have to rely on someone hiring them - why can't they have their own lawn mowing business? Not one teenager has asked to mow my lawn and some days it was just asking to be mowed! Parents need to be proactive in getting their kids to think outside the box.
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  • hnuh wrote...
    06-07-2012 Many teens have quit looking...
    June 6, 2012 7:15 am
    When the worthless Jimmy Carter was president the same thing was going on. The teens can't find work because most of those minimum jobs are filled by adults trying to support themselves and their families.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    Is it just me or is this article dumb?
    June 6, 2012 7:31 am
    Way more Teens found jobs last month than they did last year at the same time... Then they go on to say less teens are looking? Based on what? They cite no source it just says "so and so says there are less teens looking for work" ....... Where are the facts and figures? You got more Teens working this year than last, you have stats for that... now you're saying there are less teen's looking... but where do you get that from? You just haven't seen that many where you live? Seriously dumb article.
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    @messiah
    June 6, 2012 8:26 am
    According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics (June 1, 2012), although the percentage of employed Teens increased slightly from May, 2011, to May, 2012 (from 24.9% to 25.8%), the unemployment rate for Teens (that is, for Teens looking for employment) actually INCREASED from May, 2011, to May, 2012, from 24.1% to 21.6%.

    Of the Teens actually looking for work, they're having a harder time finding work. No small wonder. Look at the lack of new jobs created the past few months.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    SeattleNative, From the above story
    June 6, 2012 9:52 am
    "US Labor statistics show 157,000 teens 16-19 got hired in May,DOUBLE the number in May of the previous year." How would an unemployment statistic exist for a group that does NOT qualify for unemployment? (perhaps a small group of dropouts collect unemployment but the majority are still in school so they do NOT qualify)
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Correction:
    June 6, 2012 8:28 am
    The unemployment rate for Teens increased from 24.1% to 24.6&.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pete in Seattle wrote...
    $.02
    June 6, 2012 8:51 am
    A couple thoughts - Teen summer jobs used to be a way to spend a little time and earn a little spending money, and maybe learn a thing or two about the workplace. Often it would be a pool or concession open only during the summer. With teens nowadays wanting so much in the way of high tech gadgets and unlimited bandwidth there is no such thing as "a little" spending money. Secondly, summer has come under attack in many parts of the country with school calendars encroaching both ends. Some districts don't let out until the 4th of July and many start in mid-August. If there is to be a family vacation there is not enough time left to justify hiring a teen anymore.
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  • Lonestar wrote...
    Thanks a lot Patty
    June 6, 2012 9:10 am
    Minimum wage laws were dreamed up by politicians and labor unions to keep teens and minorities out of the labor force. Because minimum wages prop up union wages, liberals are happy to throw the unemployed under the bus to maintain union compaign contributions.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    Lonestar
    June 6, 2012 9:58 am
    Do you believe that a Big Mac is cheaper is a State that pays a lower minimum wage then Washington? I'll answer that for you THEY DON'T the extra money goes into the owners pocket yet that Washington owner still makes a good $$ on his investment even though he pays a higher wage.What do you feel the MINIMUM wage would be if the State or the Feds didn't set some standard? $2.00? $2.25? LESS?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    messiah, look it up yourself
    June 6, 2012 10:04 am
    http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kata wrote...
    trying to decide...
    June 6, 2012 10:13 am
    if this article is testing the water to see what people think about making teens a protected class for EOA or if this is just mourning the lack of another stimulus bill.

    The idea of having every job providing a "living wage" is a problem for teens. If an employers (taking McDs or SBUX as an example) is going to be paying for someone who works part time $9.06/hr with medical benefits, stock options, matching 401(k), paid holidays, and paid vacation and paid sick leave... they're probably going to lean toward hiring an adult instead of a 16 yr old kid.

    I am not saying that it's as impossible as this article is suggesting nor am I somehow precluding parents from encouraging kids to get jobs. I've been employed since I was 13 (paper route) because that's just what was expected of me. We weren't poor but if I wanted "frivolous" things I had to make my own money. There are jobs such as picking for local farms, a paper route or starting a neighborhood lawn care biz) but there are still yet more obstacles with things such as gov't regulations for kids about how high of a ladder they can be on and what machinery they can use (among other things).

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    kata
    June 6, 2012 2:32 pm
    Where do you find existing jobs at $9.06 ph with 401k,stock options,paid sick,vacations and medical. They don't exist. If your earning less then $19K a year how do you pay your medical deductable,or where to you travel on vacation? Yakima?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • kata wrote...
    Google
    June 6, 2012 5:54 pm
    best part time jobs with benefits

    Took less time to look it up than type all the benefits because this lame comment format wont accept li tags.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    ******** Not to worry teens and adults ******** . . . .
    June 6, 2012 10:33 am
    Romney will save the day! Everyone will have [need] three job's! In the first six months?
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