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Fewer Teens Warm Up to Summer Jobs |
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Fewer Teens Warm Up to Summer Jobs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- When the lifeguard job Matt McClelland had lined up for
the summer didn't work out, he wasn't crushed.
McClelland, 19, decided he didn't really want to work after all. The
Springfield, Mo., teen had saved some money from a job waiting tables at a
Chinese restaurant during the school year, so working wasn't a necessity.
"I can be lazy ... in-between my senior year and college," he said. "All my
friends in college are working all the time. I want to slack off while I
can."
He's not alone. Growing numbers of teenagers are spending their summers in
school or hanging out by the pool or at the mall instead of flipping burgers,
mowing yards or even looking for a job.
This summer, economists expect the rate of teens who shun summer jobs to hit
an all-time high.
Just 56.9 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds worked or looked for a job last
summer -- the lowest percentage since 1964, according to the Labor
Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate has been declining steadily
since 1978, when it peaked at 69.1 percent.
The trend seems to be continuing. In June, 55.5 percent of teens either were
looking for or had a job, Labor data out Friday show. That's down from 58.1
percent in June 2001and 60.4 percent in 2000.
This June's percentage is the lowest since 1965, though women made up a much
smaller part of the work force at that time, Bureau of Labor Statistics
economist John Stinson said.
Some young people must work. Adam Hemingway, 20, is socking away money from
his full-time job at a Radio Shack in Washington, D.C., so he can take
community-college classes next year.
Work is "part of life. It's something you have to do," said Hemingway, who is
sharing a house with his father and stepmother to save money. He'll
contribute about $400 a month toward the rent.
More teens taking summer classes
Yet school appears to be a major reason that a smaller percentage of youths
want jobs, Stinson said.
More are spending summer in school because of increasing academic standards
and a calendar change to year-around school in some districts. Also, intense
competition for colleges means more students are taking summer classes to
build their resumes and skills.
Last year, 31 percent of teens were enrolled in school in July, the peak
month of summer employment. In 1994, just 19.5 percent of teens were in
school in July.
Joseph Onyebuchi, 14, of Arlington, Va., is taking some prep classes this
summer to get a jump on his sophomore year. He also is finding time to work
as a part-time cashier at McDonald's.
"It can be tiring sometimes, but it's kind of helpful," he said. "It helps me
with my math."
Onyebuchi, paid $5.75 an hour, said he didn't have to work but wanted extra
spending money. He doesn't mind the teasing from his friends, many of whom
are astonished he wants to work when he doesn't have to, let alone at a
fast-food restaurant.
"They say,'What is wrong with you?'" Onyebuchi said. "But I'm making money
and they're not."
Two incomes: Mom and Dad's deeper pockets
Americans' increasing affluence also is a factor in the rate drop of working
teens, said Ron Bird, chief economist at the Employment Policy Foundation, a
business-supported think tank in Washington.
Both parents commonly work in today's households, meaning more money is
available for teens' spending habits.
The median U.S.household income is $42,148, compared with $31,397 in 1967,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly 22.3 million people between the ages of 16 to 24 were employed or
looking for work in July last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. A
year earlier, 22.4 million people of that age were working or seeking a job.
Last year, more young men worked or looked for jobs than young women -- at
rates of 74.2 percent and 67.5 percent, respectively. More young whites
worked or looked for jobs, 73.9 percent, than young blacks, 60.4 percent.
For teens looking for jobs, the nation's rising unemployment rate shouldn't
deter prospects, economists said. The rate hit 5.9 percent in June and is
expected to continue climbing to as high as 6.5 percent.
The two industries that dominate when it comes to youth employment -- retail
and services -- aren't suffering as badly as other industries. Retailers have
added 22,000 new jobs since January, Stinson said.
But the services sector is still weak. Restaurants, bars, hotels, lodging
places and entertainment venues have lost some jobs since last year, though
not as many as other sectors, he said.
The most common jobs for teens are food-preparation and service positions,
such as waiters and cooks, and sales. The top jobs for girls are cashiers,
waitresses and food-counter jobs. For boys, they are cooks, cashiers and
stock handlers and baggers.
The average hourly wage for teens last year was $6.75 an hour.
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