Why Hiring Managers Didn't Hire Teens this Summer

Did your teen have a hard time finding a job this summer?  Not surprising; businesses have not hired teens for summer work.  It used to be that teens get a summer job as a way to get out of the home and make extra money.  What changed in human resources?

• Businesses are looking for permanent employees.  Teenagers can only work in May, June, July and August.  Employers look for someone year-round because they don't want to continue hiring employees.  Employees do hire in the summer; this crop of employees are there for the everyday, holiday and last beyond the summer break. 

• Competition is fierce.  Teens are looking for work, but so are retired workers, senior citizens and college students.  Companies hired senior citizens and retired workers because they have more experience and are more dependable than teens.  College students were hired too because they have more riding on this job:  paying off tuition, fees, room and board.  They will hold the job and stay in college just by rearranging their college schedule to make time for both.  They're motivated.  Even teenagers have to compete with other teenagers, and the ones that had a good track record last summer remain with the same company this summer.  Employers like to hire experienced people and they will take teens that have worked with them before over new ones that need training.

• The recession is over, but the unemployment rate is still high thanks to a weak economy.  With the healthcare law coming around the corner employers are still scared to hire people.  Therefore a strategy that's being used is to hire a jack-of-all-trades employee or to use the employees they have to perform multiple tasks. 

• There are not enough jobs out there for teens.  When the economy was stable everyone was working, and there was enough work for teenagers to gain experience.  Now that the recession happened employees are tightening the belt on payroll and only hire people when it’s mandatory.  As a result there are not enough jobs out there for everyone.  Retired workers, senior citizens and college students are taking the jobs that were meant for teens. 

• No connections on the inside.  Getting a job is never about what you know.  It's really is who you know, and it does help to get to know as many people as possible.  When you network with other people you will get the latest jobs listings before it's posted to the public.  You can score a job before anyone knows a job is available. 

Contact us for more information on job hiring.