Summer Jobs Dry Up and Teens Face Highest Unemployment in Decades
May 24 2020 - 5:59AM
Dow Jones News
By Patrick Thomas
Young Americans are having little luck finding summer jobs.
Coronavirus outbreaks throughout the country have dried up many
of the traditional opportunities that high school and college-age
students rely on each summer. Junior workers seeking seasonal
employment are striking out so much that the April unemployment
rate for teens aged 16 to 19 hit 32%, marking a high not seen since
at least 1948, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As more
teens hit the job market in June and July, when school is generally
out, that rate typically climbs higher.
Teen unemployment had been steadily falling since the aftermath
of the 2008 recession. Summer jobs had been rising in popularity,
reflecting a healthy labor market. The pandemic swiftly put that
trend in reverse. More than two million retail jobs disappeared in
April as thousands of stores closed. Restaurant owners are
grappling with how many people to hire back as states lift lockdown
measures around the U.S. Social distancing guidelines from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also curbed many
summer activities that provided positions to younger workers as
swimming pool lifeguards and golf-course caddies.
Without a chance to earn money over the summer, young workers
are missing out on thousands of dollars of extra income that could
be used to help their families or put toward expenses such as
tuition payments.
Chuck Montrie runs Bethesda Aquatics, which operates several
neighborhood swimming pools in Bethesda, Md. In a typical summer,
he employs between 60 and 70 lifeguards and swim coaches between
the ages of 15 and 22. This year, he has made many offers but
doesn't know when he will be able to put people to work. Normally,
Mr. Montrie's summer hires would be getting the pools in shape for
Memorial Day crowds, but the state's pools remain closed until
further notice.
"At this point, it's a big unknown if we will pay our lifeguards
or not, " he said. "Our guess is mid- to late June, but that's just
based on hope."
Mr. Montrie also said he has had more students than usual who
worked for him in the past come back this season and ask for jobs;
many told him their summer internships were rescinded.
Matt Kaye, 22, is graduating from University of California, Los
Angeles, next month and was recently furloughed from a clerical job
at the school's student union. He was hoping to work through
September, giving him the summer to look for a full-time job
opportunity in finance.
Mr. Kaye said he may start looking for other part-time work in
July if he can't find a full-time job by then. "It's definitely
been a huge blow to my confidence," he said.
David Benowitz, chief operating officer of restaurant operator
Craft and Crew Hospitality Inc. based in Wayzata, Minn., said it
hires about seven to 15 employees for the summer at each of his
company's five locations. Mr. Benowitz said he has recently hired
back some furloughed workers as Minnesota moves to relax some of
its restrictions on bars and restaurants next month.
Rather than cutting back on summer hires, Mr. Benowitz said he
plans to hire a few extra workers at each location to ramp up
delivery capability. But students and younger workers will face a
lot of competition for those jobs.
"We have a lot of people to choose from now. It was challenging
to be picky before this. That's turned 180 degrees now," he said.
"We can bring on A players at every position."
Riverside Golf Club in Riverside, Ill., normally hires nearly
140 teenaged caddies with roughly 70 working on any given day, said
Joe Green, the club's caddie master. Courses are open but local
laws don't permit caddies to work this summer.
Mr. Green said many of his summer caddies can make between
$5,000 and $6,000.
"I don't see how we're going to bring them back safe this year,"
he said. "To me, it's the best job these kids can have. It teaches
discipline, social skills, networking. It's a great learning
experience."
While traditional temporary jobs for young workers are in short
supply this summer, teens could find work in warehouses and
distribution centers, said Traci Fiatte, head of nontechnical
staffing at recruiting firm Randstad N.V.'s U.S. division. She said
students looking for summer work should be flexible and willing to
take roles other unemployed people may not want.
"Be willing to take work that a mother of two can't take," she
said. "Be flexible with overnight shifts, or doing delivery at the
restaurant you used to work at."
Write to Patrick Thomas at Patrick.Thomas@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 24, 2020 05:44 ET (09:44 GMT)
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