Teens test summer-job outlook
Economy challenges annual hunt for work
Luci Scott
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2008 12:00 AM

Teens searching for summer jobs could find the slumping economy a help or a hindrance, an economist says.

"There are two pressures on that market right now, and it's a little bit early to tell which one is going to dominate," said Tracy Clark, an economist with the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

The weak economy may result in fewer hires. On the other hand, teens may benefit from a smaller labor pool of illegal workers following the new employer-sanctions law, Clark said.


"I think it's entirely possible that a fair amount of the slack created by the slowing economy might be taken by the fact that teens are one of the few remaining demographics willing to work the low-wage jobs."

Nationally, the number of teen jobs has been declining sharply in recent years and is likely to be the lowest this year since the government began keeping track in 1948, according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.

It predicts only 34 percent of 16-to-19-year olds will get jobs this summer, compared with 45 percent in 2000.

Employers, economists and retailers told the New York Times that reasons teens will be hurting for jobs include the current economic slowdown, older people staying in the workforce longer, more experienced workers settling for lower-paying jobs that teens used to have and competition from adult Mexican immigrants. Also, more teens may be spending their summers in school, preparing for college.


Local jobs available


Jobs still are available locally, though.

Tempe has hired about 50 summer employees to be lifeguards and teach swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo at four city pools, said Kay Horner, who works in the aquatics department.

"Ninety percent are high schoolers, and probably about 10 percent are college-age kids," she said.

A tight budget doesn't cause a reduction in lifeguards.

"Ours is a safety concern; we have to have a certain number of guards at each pool regardless," Horner said. "Even though there's not a lot of money to go around, we're making it work."

Retailers at Tempe Marketplace that hire some high schoolers include Quiksilver, a youth-apparel and skateboard store.

The sales people are mainly high-school and college students.

"If I were hiring 40-year-old people, I don't know if a 17-year-old guy would feel comfortable. Our store has a trend-setting vibe," said Quiksilver manager Jim Kim, 20.

Breeana Edgar, 17, of Tempe, a recent graduate of Dobson High in Mesa, works at clothing store Anchor Blue.

"I'm working mostly for the experience and the money," said Edgar, who plans to work there at least through college.

The family-entertainment centers Big Surf in Tempe and Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa hire several hundred teens for the summer to work as lifeguards, ticket sellers, food servers and to run other amusements.

"We've been hiring in some departments since February . . . but for those still interested, especially age 16 and up, there's a lot of flexibility in scheduling," spokesman Dave Johnson said.

He doesn't expect the weak economy to slow his business. In fact, he said business could increase because of promotions and because high gas prices may keep people close to home.




Mesa clearinghouse


Mesa Youth Placement Service, a part of Mesa Public Schools, is a clearinghouse that matches young people with job openings. It has 8,500 people in its database as having said that they're interested in a job, although some may have moved, said Mary Lou Wahlberg, who presents workshops at schools about how to get and succeed in jobs.

Work includes domestic and clerical jobs, child care, jobs helping disabled youngsters, tutoring, cashiers and jobs in senior assisted-living centers.

Although the service says students must be guaranteed the minimum wage of $6.90 an hour, "students won't accept jobs for under $8 most of the time," Wahlberg said.
This year, the job listings are down from previous years, she said. "We're probably close to one-third of what we had last year."

One job she mentioned guarantees nine weeks of work helping with school remodeling. Students are needed to take down light fixtures for $10 an hour.

At Chandler Fashion Center, Nicholaus Voss manages the Finish Line, an athletic-apparel store. He says it makes business sense to hire young workers.

"They know the fashion, and they like talking to their peers," he said.

"It's a natural conversation, not just selling. We focus more on making the customer a friend, making them feel at home."




At the movies


Throughout the Valley, Harkins Theatres hires many teenagers, and the weak economy hasn't reduced job openings, said senior marketing manager Bryan Laurel.

"Summer is always our busiest time of year, and students come and seek us out when they're taking a break from college. We're also a large employer of local high-school students," Laurel said. "We're always hiring."

He hires teens to work box office, concessions and as ushers.

"It's an ideal summer job," Laurel said. "They get free movies and make new friends. Many managers started as seasonal workers and worked their way up."

In Gilbert, Francis Rainey, a general manager at Oregano's Pizza Bistro on Gilbert Road, says he welcomes the opportunity to employ high-school-age workers.

"I love to train a work ethic," he said. "We almost prefer no experience. They haven't been trained by any other restaurants, so there's no bad habits to break them of."

Oregano's looks for kids with a lot of energy who will work hard and "buy into what we're selling here," Rainey said. Applicants undergo an extensive interview process that includes conversations with every manager at the restaurant.

"We're hiring kids that want to be something," Rainey said.

Eddie Kobziak, 18, said working at Oregano's is fun and never slow. He has been busing dishes, cleaning tables and occasionally running food to customers for a little over a year, and plans to become a server when he turns 19 in November.

"The atmosphere is awesome," he said.





Reporters Betty Beard and David van den Berg contributed. A version of this story may have appeared in your community Republic.



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