Summer Employment Improving for Teens

Employment opportunities are starting to improve for the younger workers, more specifically teenagers. The yearly summer job survey that is provided by Snagajob has shown that the hiring levels for summer jobs are still flat, with no sure sign of a major increase. However, during the recession, young workers had to compete for available positions with those who were a bit older and much more experience. Now that the recession is over, the survey showed that teenagers will not be competing with more experienced workers nearly as much as they were throughout the recession.

The senior vice president of marketing for Snagajob, Rick Parker, says that improvements are being made but it has been at a slow pace. While there have not been many major improvements, slight improvements are a good sign of what is to come. For this year, a young worker by the name of Estefania Lamas has had her share of good luck. She spent several summers working for minimum wage but this year, she was able to pick through different internships for the summer. She received several internship offers, eventually taking on an opportunity that will allow her to travel to different areas, including Chicago and Washington. She is excited because she has never been to Washington D.C. before and is happy that she has the opportunity to do so now.

Teenagers and younger workers who are looking for a summer job better get to it fast though. According to the survey, the vast majority of hiring managers plan to finish up hiring for the summer by the end of May. This shows that there is a sense of confidence when it comes to the improvements being made to the economy but it also shows that the hiring managers have no time to wait on hiring people; they want to do it right now.

Many of the younger workers find summer jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector, working in hotels and at amusement parks, aquariums, even zoos. However, these jobs are not the easiest to find which is why many young workers have been left without work for the summer. Those who want to find summer employment may have already been hired or need to get to applying as soon as possible because summer is right around the corner and these companies want to hire now, not later. Some teenagers have only been able to find jobs because of the connections they have with other people and in this case, without a connection, they would not necessarily be able to find work. With the employment picture improving, however, soon it might not be so hard for young workers and teenagers to find the summer employment they have been searching for.