A majority of teens want to work this summer because they need the money and to get work experience, but businesses are reluctant to hire teens, especially those under 18 years old, according to Renee Ward, founder of Teens4Hire.org.
She sites a Teens4Hire.org survey of 1,000 teens age 14 to 19 in which they say they want a meaningful paying job this summer. However, when the organization began polling businesses that have traditionally hired teens in the past, most were reluctant to say they'll have summer openings teens could fill.
"Work experience at this stage in life is critical, and people who spend a large share of their young adult years unemployed have a hard time finding and keeping a job later in life," Ward says.
"The human resource people were quick to say, ‘we don't hire teens,’" says David Craig, a staff member of Teens4Hire.org. "And after I pointed out that 18- and 19-year-olds were teenagers, they'd say, ‘well, we don't hire minors.’"
Child labor laws restrict some of the jobs younger teens can fill, but employers might give them more consideration for employment if they show up at their door, says Ward.
True child labor laws restrict some of the jobs younger teens can fill, but Ward says employers might give younger teens more consideration for other positions if they show up at their door.
Teen summer employment tumbled in 2002 and has been hovering at some of the lowest levels in decades. Older teens, age 18 to 19, have more opportunities available to them. For those 14 to 17, it's a hidden job market. Ward says, look for Now Hiring signs wherever you go and ask if they would consider hiring you.
"Employers want to hire people with a positive attitude and attitude is something a teen can control," she says.
Teens4Hire.org reaches about 2 million self-motivated teens across the
