Advice for teens looking for jobs: be persistent
By Larry Ballard
The teen employment rate in the United States last summer was the lowest since 1948, and new information shows that things haven't changed much this year.
Fewer than four in 10 teenagers old enough to drive have jobs — down from 45 percent in 2000, according to Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies in Boston.
Experts say the reasons for the decline are complex. (Then again, that's what experts always say when the grant money runs out and they really don't have an answer for something.)
Truth is, older and foreign workers have squeezed out many teens from traditional summer jobs. Besides that, companies are keeping their staffs small in an effort to cut costs. I realized this on a recent Sunday morning, about halfway through my paper route.
Other experts, often sitting in recliners, contend the teen employment numbers are low because kids these days only care about wearing pants that are eight sizes too big and getting their tattoos pierced. They're lazy. They think someone owes them a living.
(These same experts, you'll recall, walked four miles to school every day. Barefoot. Over broken glass. Carrying an anvil. And an older sibling.)
My unemployed good friend Gordon, 14, had narrowed his job choices this summer to pro wrestling announcer, NASCAR crew chief and carnie.
Needless to say, the job search hasn't gone well.
"I'll take anything," said Gordon (references available on request).
I warned him that not every job is a "good fit" for the typical young worker. I cited a U.S. Department of Labor report that shows an American teen is injured on the job every 30 seconds. (Labor officials did not identify the poor kid, but that's not the point.)
Here are some fields, the government says, that teens should avoid:
• Agriculture. The risk of injury is four times higher. Apparently, the new bio-engineered corn fights back when you try to detassel it.
• Late-night retail. The biggest danger, of course, is the mind-numbing boredom that sets in about 8 p.m. at the Sunglass Hut.
• Jobs that require climbing. Falls from roofs, ladders, scaffolds and stages are common. It's probably why Mom put her foot down when I announced one summer that I intended to be a roadie for KISS.
• Forklifts and tractors. When I was 15, I had a summer job that provided access to a forklift. And I can say, in all honesty: LOOKOUT, DUDE!!!
• Traveling sales crews: Youths are recruited each summer to sell candy, magazines and other items door-to-door. This job is particularly dangerous on particular evenings in a particular neighborhood where a particular newspaper guy likes to watch a particular television program without interruption. If you get my drift.
Candace Heiser at Iowa Workforce Development says once you eliminate all the dangerous jobs, the market for teens is tight. Then there's the competition from retirees, homemakers and other adults who just need a second paycheck.
"Things have changed a lot for young people looking for summer jobs," she said. "It's tougher for them now."
Bottom line, idle teens: Don't give up. The job market is rough, but you can't sit around the house all summer crying about it.
Larry Ballard writes for The Des Moines (Iowa) Register.
