Thread: IL: Hottest summer jobs fill quickly

Hottest summer jobs fill quickly


By Michael Sean Comerford
mcomerford@dailyherald.com
Posted Friday, June 08, 2007

Summer retail jobs are hot in the Elgin area. Numerous amusement park jobs in Gurnee and lifeguard jobs throughout the suburbs are filling up quick though.

Area youths will have to look increasing hard for their own summer job hot spots because the market promises to be tight in select areas.

"The teens hit the hardest are the 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds," Joseph McLaughlin, senior research associate at Northeastern University, Boston, said of the shortage of jobs. "It's also hardest on teens from low income and minority households."

Dana Heiser, 15, of Lake Villa, worked one of the game sections on Thursday at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. She said she didn't bother applying anywhere else.

"Most of my friends don't have jobs; (but) most of them didn't look," she said above the cacophony of arcade games around her.


Fifteen-year-old Dana Heiser of Lake Villa works at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. The amusement park offers a great opportunity for teens to work during the summer months. (Gilbert R. Boucher II/Daily Herald)


Northeastern recently completed a study showing only about 41 percent of Illinois' teens will hold summer jobs this year, a number that is comparable to the national average but well below the 51 percent employed in 2000.

Those who track youth employment say teens increasingly find themselves in competition with immigrant workers and senior citizens.

Aggravating teen unemployment in urban areas is the discontinuation of federally funded summer jobs programs, said Jack Wuest, executive director of Alternative Schools Network, a not-for-profit educational organization in Chicago.

"That program used to provide 35,000 to 40,000 summer jobs," Wuest said. "That means that 35,000 to 40,000 kids don't have jobs now."

On the other hand, local employers say they benefit by drawing from a large labor pool.

Great America employs 3,200 people during the summer months and still can afford to turn down about 50 percent of its applicants.

"Our quality (of employee) has really gone up," said Jim Taylor, Great America spokesman. "I'd like to say that's because we've gotten a lot more picky about who we employ."

However, the summer job market in the West and Northwest suburbs appears healthier this summer than last summer, according to some area employers.

Stroll through any area mall and "We're hiring" signs decorate windows.

"The job outlook looks pretty rosy, particularly in retail," said Jackie Bolger, a supervisor at the Elgin office of the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Those observations back-up a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study showing summer employment rising the last three years, reaching 59 percent this summer.

McLaughlin said the difference between Northeastern's estimate of a 41 percent employment rate and the Labor Department's 59 percent rate is due to the latter counting more older job seekers, traditionally more employable. Also, Northeastern tracks only 29 states.

One sign of a healthier summer job market is the unfilled jobs. Open spots at Great America include rides, food service, park services, admissions, games, merchandise and lifeguards.

Nora Schroedter hired 400 teenaged life guards this year, as vice president of Aurora-based Pool Guards, and perennially gets flooded with applications.

"I had difficulties in some towns filling positions this year," Schroedter said.

Still, this time of year annually touches off a scramble for summer jobs and it doesn't hurt to start early.

Naperville's youth outreach organization, KidsMatter, doubled both the companies attending its March jobs fair and the number of teens attending, estimated at more than 1,000.

"We were blown away by the turnout of students," said IdaLynn Wenhold, KidsMatter executive director.

Youth job market

Summer employment for 16- to 24-year-olds has fallen below 50 percent in recent years.

•2000 51.7%

•2004 41.6%

•2005 42.2%

•2006 42.6%

•2007* 41.2%

*Projected figure

Source: Northeastern University, Boston, study of 29 states


http://www.dailyherald.com/business/story.asp?id=321252

I live 10 minutes from Great America. I worked there while in high school and college. How very interesting that they mention the immigrant workers. Our local pro-'immigrant' paper won't print that I bet.

Hope the non-English speakers aren't running any of the rides.

Should I ask Great America what kind of employment background checks they do?!

Fedup, I certainly would!

I find it hard to believe that senior citizens are creating that much competition for our kids trying to get jobs. I DO believe the immigrant worker claim of that statement. I have three teens and they have told me over and over many times how they've applied to places for a job, in many cases most of these places have a high immigrant (most likely illegal) worker ratio, and have literally watched the worker take their application and throw it away!

Originally Posted by fedupinwaukegan

I live 10 minutes from Great America. I worked there while in high school and college. How very interesting that they mention the immigrant workers. Our local pro-'immigrant' paper won't print that I bet.

Hope the non-English speakers aren't running any of the rides.

Should I ask Great America what kind of employment background checks they do?!

fedup, I have started asking businesses, particularly the small, private ones if they hire "undocumented workers". I recently hired a college kid to cut our grass, because I don't want to use one of those big landscaping companies. I would much rather give a college kid the chance to earn money than pay a big landscaping company. I do think a lot of people just bypass the kids when it comes to hiring.

We are having some fence work done this summer. I've contacted two private fence companies in the area for estimates. I will ask them about their worker status. I make it clear that I am not interested in doing business with companies who hire undocumented workers. If everyone would just inquire, I think it would help. Will we always get the truth? Doubtful, but just that fact that people ask might put some pressure on businesses to do the right thing. Just my two cents worth on the topic.

BTW, I know another forum that might enjoy that newspaper article from the Herald.