Teens compete with laid-off adults for summer jobs

JACKSON, N.J. -- Teenagers who lined up in beige folding chairs at a Six Flags amusement park job fair last month continually repeated the gripe: The hunt for summer work is brutal.

Stephanie Russo, 17, applied for jobs at a grocery store, a clothing retailer, a pet store, a kennel, an ice cream parlor and even a Minor League baseball team. Yet, here she was on a Saturday morning vying against her peers — as well as laid-off older workers and cash-strapped retirees — for work. Her boyfriend, Brandon Hawkins, 16, also had applied for various positions at local businesses but could only get hired at fast-food restaurant Arby's, where his sister already has a job — the last place he wanted to be working.

Teens across the nation are facing a similar plight: They need summer jobs for car insurance, college funds and spending money, but the prospects are bleak.

The hiring environment looks like it'll be even harsher than last summer, which was deemed the worst teen employment market in six decades, in a report from the Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies.

Last June through August, just 32.7% of teens worked, down from 45% for the same period in 2000, according to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment for 16-to-19-year-olds hit 21.7% in March, up from 15.8% last March, according to the bureau. That's the highest rate since 1992. New data will be released Friday.

While the dour economy makes it difficult for any job applicant, younger workers are particularly disadvantaged, says Renée Ward, founder of job-focused website Teens4Hire.org. Given the choice of hiring a youth or an adult, most employers "will go with the more mature person, because they feel there is less that they have to do to train them," she says.

More paycheck-seeking older workers are moving into teen-friendly jobs such as babysitter, valet car parker, amusement park worker and grocery store cashier. Already, 18% of 12-to-17-year-olds said they're working alongside more adults and former retirees, according to a February survey by Junior Achievement.

Six Flags, which has 20 parks across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, has "definitely seen more adult (applicants) this year," says spokeswoman Sandra Daniels. "We've seen retirees. We've seen people who have been laid off," as well as full-time workers, such as teachers, who are just looking for "a secondary income."

Adding to teens' work woes, hiring managers — especially those at mom-and-pop shops — are expected to gravitate toward adults as the federal minimum wage increases from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour in late July.

With the wage increase, owners of small businesses such as ice cream shops will scrutinize each potential applicant to make sure they get the most bang for their increased payroll buck, says Tim Miller, a spokesman for Employment Policies Institute, a research group that studies public policy.

"The first people they're going to hire are people with higher skills — those who have a college degree or have worked before," he says.

High school student Jane Swett of Spring Lake, N.J., has only had one job before, and says that lack of work experience hinders her search. "I want to work," she says. "I'm looking everywhere."

Pervasive unease

The summer work drought comes as teens are already stressed about money. One in three are "anxious about the current state of the economy," according to the Junior Achievement poll. In addition, 33% of teens said there are fewer jobs, and 24% said there's more competition.

Amusement parks "are seeing more job applicants than any year in the last 15 years" — at a ratio of five applicants for each open job, says Dennis Speigel, president of the International Theme Park Services consulting firm.

Would-be teen lifeguards for Volusia County, Fla., recently faced strong adult competition for a seasonal job that comes with a $500 bonus and a $9.37 hourly wage.

"For the last couple of years, our average age was about 17 years old" for the tryouts, says Beach Patrol Captain Scott Petersohn. But this year, some contenders were decades older.

Petersohn is thrilled that the candidate pool swelled: "For us, it's like a windfall, because we can be very selective," he says.

Among them was Troy Logan, 34, who was laid off from his job as a recruiter for the commercial insurance industry in January. He's taken on various jobs to help support his two kids, including landscaping and teaching. His wife works as a dental assistant, but, "We can't live on one income alone," he says.

Logan and the other soon-to-be lifeguards are in training classes, but of the 87 candidates who have passed the cut so far, about a quarter are older than 21, says Petersohn.

Jon Merwin, 46, is another who had the power to pass the physical requirements — which included swimming 500 meters in 10 minutes or less — and enter the training program.

He was recently laid off from his job as a station director for an airline, and his wife pointed out the local tryouts after she read about them in a newspaper.

Merwin, a lifeguard in college, thought she was kidding.

"I didn't take her seriously," he says. But after some thought, he decided to "give it a shot."

He's now in first aid and medical training, and says he's looking forward to working as a team with other lifeguards, as well as getting some outdoor time and exercise.

"If there's anything I've learned from this (his economic setbacks), it's separating your net worth from your self worth," he says. "It forces you to test your resolve and your spirituality."

On-the-job learning

Merwin had the willpower and drive to find a way to help support his family — yet, some youth experts fear that today's teens won't get to build those same qualities if they sit on the job sidelines for too long.

"This is going to be one of the first real generations where many (teens) haven't worked," says Teens4Hire's Ward. Those who have a hard time finding a job when they're young often have a hard time finding a job when they're older, she says.

Even if a teen is fortunate enough to land a job, he or she may still suffer on the skill-development front.

Savings-seeking business owners may cut back on the on-site training, says David Neumark, co-author of the book Minimum Wages.

Learning job skills as a teen — as well as being given the chance to take on new work duties — helped Angel Aristone land her current position as public relations manager for the Jackson, N.J., Six Flags Great Adventure park.

Maxwell, now 30, began her Six Flags career in 1997 as an operator for the Flying Wave swings ride. She continued to work at that park through college and after, taking on different roles, such as supervising the park's dancers and other performers.

"I had no idea at the time the growth and opportunity that Six Flags would provide to me," she says. "I definitely gained a lot of experience and hands-on training."

Limited impact

Even a billion-dollar infusion from the federal government likely won't be enough to help the teen job market.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has allotted $1.2 billion to help those ages 14 to 24 on the job front, with much of the money funding summer job opportunities.

But a good portion of that will be directed to lower-income and other "disadvantaged" teens, so the impact won't be broad, says Joe McLaughlin, senior research associate at Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies.

"It'll be really good for some kids, especially kids in urban areas," he says. But middle-class teens and others who don't qualify for stimulus help "will have a hard time" in their summer job search.

Maricopa Workforce Connections — which oversees workforce development in Maricopa County, Ariz. — received $3.2 million in youth-focused stimulus funds. Most will be used to fund a summer job program for 650 lower-income youths.

The group is reaching out to employers in the public, non-profit and private sectors, says Patrick Burkhart, assistant director at the group. The salaries will be covered by the stimulus dollars, he says.

"We're not asking employers to underwrite the salary costs, but we do expect them to provide a meaningful work experience and general supervision."

Frustrated by the job market, though, many teens may decide to just sit this summer out — and that's the worst thing they can do, says Karen Hinds, author of A Teenager's Guide to the Workplace.

"If they don't get paying jobs, they need to retool and volunteer or find an internship … so they are still able to develop skills over the summer," she says.

Another option is for teens to go into business for themselves. "They have to think outside the box" and pursue jobs such as cleaning neighbors' yards or making and selling jewelry, Hinds says.

She also says that it's "imperative" for parents, teachers and other adults to encourage teens in their search for work.

That's what Eileen Russo of Lakewood, N.J., is doing.

She accompanied daughter Stephanie to the Six Flags job fair, saying that it's important for her to "learn responsibilities" that come with working. She also wants Stephanie to take on financial duties such as paying for insurance for the 1997 car that she drives.

Yet, Russo, who got her first job at age 13, is also sympathetic to her daughter's plight.

"She's been all over" but is "still having a hard time," she says. "I can't fault her because she's been trying. … There's just more people than there are jobs."

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