Thread: Teen employment on the rise in California

Teen employment on the rise in California

While it might not ever return to its peak in 1979, when about 60 percent of teens held jobs, employment rates in California are the highest they've been since the recession.

Author: KXTV
Published: 5:59 PM PDT April 17, 2018
Updated: 6:15 PM PDT April 17, 2018

Teen unemployment in California is the lowest it’s been since the recession, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The trend of teens working during their high school years had been on the decline before the recession, with the most common reason for not working being pursuit of academic goals.




When the recession hit and older workers began scrambling for any job they could get, it pushed many teens out of the market.

While the unemployment rate rose for all age groups during the recession, it rose more steeply for the 16-19-year-old demographic, according to California Employment Development Department data.




Teen employment rates have traditionally been limited by the restrictions of school schedules and teens lack of work experience, but economic downturns have always played a role in the ability of teens to find employment.

However, when the state’s economy began to expand once again, between February 2013 and February 2018, opening up other opportunities for workers, the teen employment rate began to rise, according to Cal EDD. The economic gains also allow give local government more discretionary spending for summer employment programs for teens.

Teen employment has steadily decreased since its peak in 1979, when almost 60 percent of teens, many of them in high school, worked, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Recessions in 2001 and 2007-09 lowered teen employment rates, and although it appears to be on an upswing, projections point to ‘an even lower teen participation rate by 2024, according to the BLS.

Aside from market forces, trends in parenting and educational demands contribute to the reduced number. More teens attend summer school (from about 10 percent in 1985 to more than 40 percent in 2016), which further limits employment opportunities. Teen employment rates tend to drop during periods of recession, and although they’ve risen along with economic recovery, since the 1980s, they haven’t returned to previous rates.

Although their numbers are lower than before, one thing remains constant: food service is still the largest percentage of teen jobs, with many snagging their first work experiences in fast food restaurants. About 11 percent of those employed in food preparation and service in California in February 2018 were teens, compared to about 7 percent teen participation in sales and related employment. Healthcare had the lowest rate of teen employment, at 1 percent.




While the Internet presents opportunities for Youtube or Twitter fame, it’s probably better to develop job skills to fall back on should your inevitable stardom fail to launch.

http://www.abc10.com/article/news/lo.../103-540991499

That is such good news!

Aside from market forces, trends in parenting and educational demands contribute to the reduced number. More teens attend summer school (from about 10 percent in 1985 to more than 40 percent in 2016), which further limits employment opportunities.

I could be wrong but when I see this, I immediately starting thinking illegal alien teenagers with weak English skills.

So, I wonder how many of these children getting these jobs are illegal aliens and anchor kids? That thought wouldn't have entered my mind had we been talking about South Dakota, but we're talking about California.

Ready for a summer job? 9 things teens, parents need to know about summer work in North Carolina

Posted 9:00 p.m. yesterday


By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall, Go Ask Mom editor

Back in the 1970s, most teens - more than 70 percent of 16 to 19 year olds, in fact - had some kind of job, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But times have changed as schedules shift, extracurricular activities take priority and the country's economy makes it tough for teens to find gainful employment.

At the height of the Great Recession, the number of U.S. teens ages 16 to 19 with summer jobs dropped from 40 percent to less than 30 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight's analysis of labor statistics. In some cases, those service jobs, commonly held by teens, no longer existed. In other cases, they were taken by laid off adults, who were happy to get any job to help pay the bills.

Spike in number of NC youth work permits

But things seem to be on the uptick. Case in point: The number of youth work permits that the N.C. Department of Labor has issued to teens has seen a steady increase in the past four years - up from 58,675 in fiscal year 2014 to 81,478 in fiscal year 2017. That's a nearly 40 percent jump.

Mary Katherine Revels, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Labor, said awareness is one reason for the rise. The department has worked to get the word out that employers must have a youth work permit on file for teens who work for them.

But, she said, the economy also is healthier than it was a decade ago. The current unemployment rate in North Carolina is around 4.5 percent. In December 2008, it hovered around 8.7 percent.

"The economy is getting better," Revels said. "Since the program started, the word is getting out there that you have to have this. ... We also just see a general increase in it every year. It seems like more and more teens want to work.

They want their own spending money."

The graph below, provided by the labor department, shows the number of youth employment certificates issued from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2017, pulling out the number of paper and online applications filed and adding them altogether.



Big change this year for NC youth work permits

Revels said we're entering the busy season as teens look for summer employment and seek youth work permits. And, during this 2018 summer employment season, there's a big change - paper youth permit applications no longer are available. Starting in October 2017, the forms are available only online on the labor department's website.

Paper applications were eliminated when the General Assembly amended the state's Wage and Hour Act in August. The paper applications had been available through the Department of Social Services and accounted for a small percentage of total youth work permits - just 6 percent during the last fiscal year.

Now that more people have access to the internet - or can find it through their school or local library - the application is available only online, Revels said.

9 things teens, parents should know about NC's youth employment certificate

Revels said she often fields questions from parents and teens about the youth work permit applications and process. Here are answers to 9 common questions about youth employment and North Carolina's youth work permit.

How old do I have to be to get a job in North Carolina?

For most employment, other than working for their parents, modeling or acting, or delivering newspapers, 14 is the magic number. You'll need to be at least 14 years old to scoop ice cream or work the checkout line. Sorry, 13-year-olds.

What hours can a teen work in North Carolina?

North Carolina restricts how long teens can work each day, depending on their age.

Teens ages 14 to 15 can work no more than three hours a day on days when school is in session; no more than eight hours a day when school is not in session; and only between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day). They must have a 30-minute break after five consecutive hours of work.

For teens ages 16 to 17 who are enrolled in school, they typically can't work from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. when there is school the next day. They can, however, get an exception if they have written permission from the youth's parents or school principal.

Can I take any job or are some off limits?

The Wage and Hour Act and Fair Labor Standards Act lays out 17 jobs that teens ages 18 and under can't hold - even if they are employed by their parent or legal guardian.

They include coal mining, but also motor-vehicle driving, construction work and any demolition operations. The labor department breaks it down on its website.

Can I get a youth work permit now before I get a job?

Nope. You can't get a jumpstart on that youth permit application. The teen must have a job offer before they can fill out the form. Among the questions, the application asks for the address of the company where the teen will work and what business the company is in.

Where do I find the NC youth work permit application?

In a recent redesign of the department's website, the youth work permit gets home page, front-and-center treatment. It's one of the most popular sections of the website, Revels said. Just scroll down to the "Apply for a Youth Employment Certificate" section.

What do I need to fill out the form?

To fill out the form, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader. And to print out the permit, which the employer will need to have on file, you'll need a printer connected to that computer. If you're aren't able to print out the permit immediately after filling out the information, it can a hassle to retrieve it. So it's best to just print it out when you fill it out.

Who can fill out the form?

Teens, parents, legal guardians or the employer can fill out the form. In fact, said Revels, many employers have teens fill out the form in their office so they can print out the permit and immediately file it so they know they have it on hand.



Once I fill out the form, what do I do with it?

Completed and signed certificates must be given to the employer on or before the first day of work, the labor department's website says. And employers must keep the permits on file for two years after the employment ends or until age 20.

My employer expects me to work long hours. What should I do?

If an employer is expecting a teen to work longer hours than allowed by law, in a hazardous line of work or is violating some other law, teens and parents are encouraged to contact the labor department to file a complaint. Call 800-NC-LABOR.

http://www.wral.com/ready-for-a-summ...lina/17492808/

Facing Historic Labor Shortages, Companies Snap Up Teenagers

The U.S. is facing a severe worker shortage, forcing employers big and small to explore the labor market’s youngest echelon, which is piling into the workforce

‘I’ve never had to work fast food,’ says high-schooler Thayer McCollum, 17, here during his work shift at Avionics Specialists.

MATT NAGER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

By Jennifer Levitz and
Eric Morath

April 16, 2018 12:22 p.m. ET

LOVELAND, Colo.—Jerry Stooksbury, the president of Avionics Specialists LLC, needed to produce an airplane instrument panel last fall, but had only two employees able to complete the task quickly.

One was out sick. The other was in high school.
He called the high-schooler, 17-year-old Thayer McCollum.
...

TO READ THE FULL STORY

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More Students Forced to Take Summer School

• By MARIA F. DURAND

July 6

Forget the lazy days of summer.

For an increasing number of students across the country, reading and math are replacing swimming and video games as more children and teenagers are being told they have to go to summer school in order to pass to the next grade level.

New York is expecting 32 percent of all its public school students to attend its summer classes that started this week and in Chicago, 46 percent will be enrolled in school.

The summer school trend comes at a time when many school districts throughout the nation have moved to end what is known as social promotion. This is the practice of promoting students to the next grade so they move through the school system at the same rate as their peers.

“The increase in summer school programs and the end of social promotion are highly related,” said Prof. Michael Kirst of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research. “All kids are putting in more school hours. That is a significant trend.”

Kirst said summer school presents a clear advantage for students who need special attention because classes are smaller and in many locales students work on a single, clear goal: passing standardized tests.

But while summer school offers a boost for students falling behind, some school districts said they fear they are short-changing eager students, who view summer school as a way to get ahead.

A Growing Trend
In New York, the nation’s largest school district, 319,000 students, or 32 percent, of the city’s 1.1 million students are registered to attend school this summer.

Last year, the school district had 228,000 students enrolled.
School administrators say this is in part due to the programs to end social promotion implemented this year. Of the more than 300,000 students enrolled in school 65,076 — or less than 10 percent — of them are required to do so, officials say.
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called the summer-school push “an attempt to try to turn the system into one with much, much higher standards.” “It won’t be easy, but I think the chancellor [of education] and the Board of Education are moving in the right direction.”

In Chicago, reform began four years ago, when Mayor Richard Daley ordered a shake-out of the school system.

Of Chicago’s 431,000 public school students, 200,000 — or 46 percent — are enrolled in classes this summer.

That is double the number of students who went to summer school in 1996, according to school district spokesman Keith Bromery.

A Wake-Up Call In Boston, 11,000 students in grades 2-3 and 5-9 are attending mandatory classes as part of a new promotion policy that requires students to pass English and math before moving on to the next grade level.

Last year, 4,101 students in grades 2 and 5-8 went to school during the summer.

Brenda Richardson, the summer school coordinator for the Trotter School in inner-city Boston, said this remedial program is a wake-up call to many parents.

“Some parents haven’t put the emphasis on education that they should. In these five weeks hopefully we can build the strong relationship with parents so next year [their children] don’t have to come back,” Richardson said.

Summer classes also help students who have fallen behind by providing smaller classes.

Princella Goodrich-Francis, a summer school principal at Fanning Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri, said in her school there are there are only 15 to 20 students per classes, whereas during the school year, there’s up to 35.

She said teachers can do more individual instruction and students get the help they need, and their confidence level rises.

“Initially they say, ‘I don't want to go to summer school,’ but then they see we have fun. It’s not just ‘turn your book to page 72,’” she said. “Kids like it. The ones who came last year will come back and bring a friend.”

One student went to their program all three years, and was her high school class valedictorian, Goodrich-Francis said.
Clara Elam who has been teaching at public schools in St. Louis, Missouri for 44 years, said she has been teaching summer school for four years, ever since the district set up a special program to help lagging students graduate.

“I think this is the best thing they can do,” Elam said.
Turning Students Away But in some districts the trend toward remedial programs may be pushing out eager students who once attended summer school in order to get ahead.

In Boston and other large school districts, school administrators are having to turn some children away.

“This year, summer school is geared to students who haven’t made the grade in standardized testing. There isn’t room for those who want to take their kids, who may have passed the test, but just want a little bit more,” Richardson said.

There is no room because they have too many students in the summer remedial programs. Schools have guaranteed parents they will be able to provide their children with additional instruction during the regular school year.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country, elementary-level summer classes weren’t even offered until a year ago. Only a fraction of the students who need remedial help are getting it, according to a school spokesman.

“We don’t have enough space. We have a severe overcrowding problem,” said Ed Pardo, spokesman for the Los Angeles school district. “When we looked at last years numbers. We wanted to do it in all grades but we don’t have classrooms to put these kids.”

Of the 50,000 students attending summer school, 14,000 will be second and eighth graders who are attending mandatory remedial classes in math, reading and English.

Last year, the district offered remedial classes for students in grades 2, 3, 5 and 8, but the district was forced to scale back its program this year.

Pardo said students taking enrichment classes, or classes that are offered as additional instruction, were not being short-changed at the expense of those required to attend remedial classes, but more money will have to be budgeted in order to offer classes to every student who needs help.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96610&page=1

Our schools overcrowded BY illegal aliens and foreigners at the EXPENSE of our students and our pocketbooks.

Get them out of all our schools and these kids grades will improve and so will their attitudes.

They are not building more schools to keep up with the overcrowding, they are not giving teachers raises, they are not doing the maintenance in our schools. Get these foreigners out of our schools.

10 YEAR MORATORIUM ON ALL IMMIGRATION AND CUT OFF 100% OF THE FREEBIES!

N.C. Some 17-year-olds eligible to vote in May 8 primary

So, back to my original question. I wonder how many of these teenagers are illegal aliens or anchor babies?