Job seekers' hopes to heat up their summer with a new seasonal job may be put on ice by increased competition per opportunity than in years past. Twenty-two percent of employers say they plan to hire seasonal workers for the summer, in line with estimates from 2009, according to CareerBuilder's Annual Summer Job Forecast. Fifteen percent of employers say they are planning to hire the same amount of summer workers as last year, while 5 percent plan to add fewer. The survey was conducted between February 10 and March 02, 2010, among more than 2,700 employers.
Landing a temporary summer position could potentially be what is needed to continue with full-time employment in the fall. More than half (57 percent) of companies reported that they would consider some of their seasonal recruits for permanent placement within their organizations when the summer ends.
When it comes to summer paychecks, nearly seven-in-10 (71 percent) hiring managers will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while 14 percent will offer more. An additional 11 percent will offer less and 4 percent said they were unsure. Two-in-five companies (43 percent) plan to pay summer workers $10 or more per hour and 6 percent plan to pay $20 or more per hour. Thirty percent anticipate paying between $8 to less than $10 per hour, while 9 percent expect to pay less than $7 per hour.
"On par with last year, finding summer employment is going to be tough for the millions of job seekers who were counting on warmer weather to provide additional employment opportunities," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. "While companies have begun to take steps in the right direction toward rebuilding their workforces, their summer hiring plans clearly show that they are still waiting to see what the future brings before they move forward with recruitment."
Comparing the industries surveyed, retail and hospitality have plans to bring the most summer workers on board, at 40 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Across all industries, the most popular summer positions being offered include:
- Office support – 28 percent
- Customer service – 21 percent
- Landscape/maintenance – 16 percent
- Research – 13 percent
- Sales – 12 percent
- Restaurant/food service – 12 percent
Haefner offers tips for landing a summer position and turning it into a full-time opportunity.
Diversify your search – In addition to searching on general online job boards, check out niche sites such as workinretail.com and jobsonthemenu.com to find opportunities.
Think beyond your new role – Don't look at your new summer job as just a summer job. More than half of employers may hire summer employees for full-time roles. Show enthusiasm about the job and the company. Talk to your supervisor about other projects you can help out on to expand your responsibilities and see if you can parlay a seasonal opportunity into something more permanent.
Dress the part – Know your audience. If you are interviewing for a job in a retail clothing store, it's a good idea to show up dressed in an outfit from that store.
Stay positive – Whether you are still looking for a summer job or just landed one, keep your conversations positive. Don't focus on negatives around a tough employment situation; focus on what you learned from the experience.
