Summer jobs are there, if teens are willing to find them.
By: Brook Olster
South Brunswick teens may not have as much difficulty as they expect finding a summer job this year.
While the economy may be in a slump, Middlesex County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country compared to the national average. The township also offers a range of opportunities for summer employment that is appropriate for younger workers, such as high school or college students.
According to the state Department of Labor, the nation currently faces an overall unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, while the state boasts a 5.6 percent rate. Middlesex County fares the best at a rate of 4.8 percent.
A May Department of Labor study says that some employers are more cautious about hiring this year because of the state of the national economy, weakness in consumer spending and low consumer confidence.
The result is reflected in a declining number of job offers to recent college graduates and a limited number of summer internship positions. This has been the trend for about one year, said Peter Saharko, public information officer at the Department of Labor.
According to recent South Brunswick High School graduate Rachel Wolf, many of her friends have had continuous jobs throughout the year so they do not have to find a "summer job." Rachel is enjoying a break at the beach before she starts working as a lifeguard at Willows Swim Club.
Rachel will be attending Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications in the fall.
One factor that makes it difficult for students to find jobs is that they can work only for the summer.
"Most places don’t like to hire workers for a few months," said Rachel’s former classmate, Allison O’Brien, who will be working at a food store in Princeton this summer. "It’s not in the employer’s interest to hire someone, spend money training them, and then have to find someone to fill their position once they go back to school in September."
Allison will be attending the University of Iowa in the fall.
High school students trying to find exciting jobs to keep themselves occupied over their summer break from school are concerned that more qualified college graduates who return home will take their jobs away.
"It’s hard to find a job at this point because college students have already come home and have started working," said Allison. "Kids need to start looking earlier."
Some teens may look to the township as a source for jobs, such as being a lifeguard or camp counselor, or they op to approach local restaurants to work as a host/hostess or a waiter/waitress. Many are successful finding seasonal jobs offered by the county and local municipalities or work in retail, said Mr. Saharko. Some may even venture out to coastal areas where seasonal work is consistently plentiful due to the abundance of vacationers.
Mr. Saharko also said that many seasonal jobs are becoming year-round jobs, such as fast food jobs, which are commonly held by teenagers. However, he said these jobs pay workers a lower wage than jobs in other trades.
Many teens also feel threatened that the sluggish economy may cause them to lose their jobs. Employers typically feel obligated to keep on workers who have been with the company the longest and have the highest value to the company. When profits are down, recent grads or summer workers will be among the first to go in an effort to cut costs, said the Labor Department.
According to the Labor Department, wages are slightly lower this year because the unemployment rate is higher and there is more competition from year-round workers seeking similar jobs. Youth 18 and older can expect more jobs in stores with slightly higher wages due to child labor laws prohibiting younger teens from working after 11 p.m. or operating hazardous machinery.
Despite job applications flooding many local businesses, some managers say they still hope to hire dozens of teens this summer.
South Brunswick Family YMCA Director Steven Rodriguez said he will be taking in teens to perform as camp counselors and sports instructors this summer. He said he hired several Senior Society students from South Brunswick High School who worked at the YMCA during a portion of their senior year.
"Young people are the essence of our community," said Mr. Rodriguez. "We never stop hiring them because children (campers) learn so much from them and vice versa."
Pat Papenberg of the Parks and Recreation Department said she expects to hire upwards of 60 teens this summer for counselor positions in the various park programs in South Brunswick.