Thread: Teen summer job outlook: Not so hot

No mention of illegal aliens competing for jobs.

By Ashley Studley/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted May 15, 2011 @ 12:00 AM

With teen employment rates at their lowest since World War II, officials say young adults will have to work twice as hard to land jobs this summer.

"It's important for young people to find jobs as teens, but they're competing with experienced workers trying to dig their way out of the recession," said Jennifer James, an undersecretary at the state Labor and Workforce Development office.

A recent study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University indicates employment rates for the nation's teens, ages 16 to 19, have dropped from 46 percent to 27 percent in the last decade. It predicts only one fourth - 4.98 million teens - will have work this summer.

To curb the state's even lower teen employment number - 21.6 percent, Gov. Deval Patrick last week announced a $6 million initiative for youth summer jobs.

Using various sources, James said the administration is seeking more money to pay for more than 4,000 jobs this summer.

"We are hoping the Legislature will follow the governor's lead and add some additional funding to the fiscal 2012 budget we can utilize over the summer as well," James said.

Using $4 million from a division of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and Commonwealth Corp. and another $2 million in federal Byrne Grant anti-crime program funding, the administration will allocate money to 15 employment agencies to create jobs for teens ages 14 to 19 who are at risk of getting into trouble.

The Metro South/West Regional Employment Board, based in Marlborough, is among the list of recipients. It will use its $31,000 allocation to create 16 jobs in Framingham.

"This particular program that the state runs and provides us with allows us to open doors to disadvantaged youths, minorities and low-income adults who need to have those doors opened for them," said Kelley French, program director for the board's Young Adult Initiative.

She said applicants must fall below the poverty line to qualify and are placed at job sites like the Framingham Housing Authority, public library and the Boys & Girls Club.

French said each will work 20 to 25 hours a week and receive $8 an hour.

"We have more applying than we can take. Unfortunately, there are many young adults in Framingham in need of jobs right now. The poverty level in Framingham is a high pocket area for the metro-south region," French said.

The Central Massachusetts Regional Employment Board is also getting $378,000 from the state, and while it will use most of that money to fund jobs in Worcester, Executive Director Jeff Turgeon said the board will create 20 jobs in Milford.

He said many kids need the boost.

"The reality is, oftentimes kids whose parents and families are better off have better connections and a wider circle of friends," Turgeon said. "You also have the older kids coming back from college and have a leg up on the younger kids. Other stresses come from seniors and adults who are taking jobs that would normally go to teens just to make ends meet."

Turgeon said he's working with Susan Gately, executive director of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce's Education Foundation, to place teens in local jobs.

Gately said options are sparse.

"The outlook has been rough for a long time and it isn't just associated with the economic challenge, it's really more associated with a longterm trend that covers a whole generation of young people. We've just sort of forgotten the value of bringing them into business, industry and service at an early age, helping them to get an idea what it's like to be an employee and what might excite them for their own futures," Gately said.

She said she's trying to get commitments from local businesses in the public and private sectors to take on teen help this summer.

"We've had some great opportunities with some unusual small businesses which have given kids some insight into entrepreneurship and working," like at the Youth Center and local markets.

Some town departments, like Ashland Recreation, weren't able to hire as many teens as previous years.

The Marlborough Boys & Girls Club is hiring as many seasonal employees as last year, but was overwhelmed with applications.

"It seems to me over the last couple of years, there's more competition than before," said club director Steven Zepf. "This year we had 275 kids come down for our teen job search. It seems we're getting more kids looking, and we've gotten more applications."

Zepf has already hired about 20 part-time teen and college-aged employees. Even adults are going for camp counselor and coordinator jobs, he said.

Competition for jobs is fierce, said Barry Feingold, president of the Milford Area Chamber of Commerce.

"I think it's a ripple effect from the economy. We're slowly moving to commercial recovery and I think it seems there are a lot of jobs out there, but adults are going after those same jobs," he said.

Feingold recommends kids look for jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industries, at summer camps and as outdoor labor.

James urges employers to visit massyouthemployment.org to find out how they can hire teen help.

She says teens need to start networking now.

"Be professional, go above and beyond and get that interview," she said.

Ashley Studley can be reached at 508-634-7556 or astudley@wickedlocal.com.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/busin ... z1MQPSC3GT

I was driving a pickup when I was ten, and an 18-blade Hamie plow rowing mile-long stretches of wheat fields when I was 12.

I was feeding a 120 head dairy herd when I was 13, all by myself. Including keeping all the feeding troughs clean, and bailing hay weighing almost as much as I did.

The PTA, NAACP, ACLU, SPLC, and your average American parent today all would agree that I was completely abused and would commence putting my parents in jail for subjecting me to the horrors of physical labor.

That's where we are in this country today, and why we will NEVER RECOVER from the invasion from Mexico.

Bloomberg: New York City Will Collapse Without Illegal Immigrants

"The economy of the country's largest city and the entire nation would collapse if illegal immigrants were deported en masse, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a Senate committee hearing."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, July 05, 2006

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202 ... z1Cq5pCvG8

related

Workers Demand Better Pay
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/01/359351 ... d_articles

Wisconsin demonstrators marched two miles through downtown Milwaukee, waving U.S. and Mexican flags and holding signs showing a raised fist in the shape of the state. Similar scenes played out across the nation and around the world, as millions of workers from Havana to Berlin and Istanbul took to the streets.

Milwaukee demonstrators pounded drums, blared through vuvuzelas and chanted, "Si se puede," Spanish for "yes, it can be done." They also held signs saying, "It's about freedom," and "Working hard is not a crime."

The rally ended at a park on the shores of Lake Michigan, where AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told marchers they had the support of labor unions because both groups were being attacked by the same conservative opponents.

"It's the same fight," he said. "It's the same people that are attacking immigrants' rights, workers' rights, student rights, voting rights."

May 1 is a traditional date for pro-labor demonstrations. Immigration advocates in the United States latched onto the celebrations in 2006.

Carlos Gutierrez, 40, of Oak Creek, Wis., said it was wrong to ostracize immigrant workers because "if people are willing to work hard for a better life, it doesn't matter where they grew up."

HAPPY2BME: Sounds like you were also doing jobs Americans won't do - if we are to believe the open borders crowd.

Re: Milwaukee - that's what happens when you allow and/or encourage illegals to take over your town. Marching through the streets demanding their "rights", higher wages (oops, we now need new illegals), and respect (sorry, you've got to earn that and you haven't).

I done the same growing up here in KY.we raised tobbacco hay corn milked cows and dad worked construction.We raised a big garden canned for winter killed our own hogs cows too.I got me a part time job at back then at Dairy Queen at nights to pay for my car,gas and insureance what was left went to picture show or something.But now kids cant get those jobs hispanics are taking everything that comes a long for less money.Growing up we had teen age boys that would come by and ask to work in tobbacco or hay and we hire them in.Now days farmers have found cheaper to hire hispanics giving them a house trailor to live in and cater to them.The men then work on farm for cash rent free and their women get jobs in fast food hotels or whatever they can get robbing our children or adults out of work.