By COLIN M. STEWART By COLIN M. STEWART ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald Staff Writer Big Isle high school students on the prowl for summer jobs have their work cut out for them these days. Nationally, experts say that job opportunities are rapidly
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Big Isle high school students on the prowl for summer jobs have their work cut out for them these days.
Nationally, experts say that job opportunities are rapidly drying up for teens. Fewer than three in 10 American teenagers now hold jobs such as running cash registers, mowing lawns or busing restaurant tables from June to August, according to a report this week by the Associated Press.
The decline has been particularly sharp since 2000, with employment for 16- to 19-year-olds falling to its lowest level since World War II.
Meanwhile, the drop in teen employment has been steeper than that for other age groups, and according to a projection by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, teen employment may never return to pre-recession levels.
Experts say the dramatic change is due in part to a cultural shift, with more youths spending summer months in school, at music or learning camps or in other activities geared for college. However, those teens who do seek work are running into a barrier: Older workers, immigrants and debt-laden college graduates are taking away lower-skill work as they struggle to find their own jobs in the weak economy.
Overall, more than 44 percent of teens who want summer jobs don’t get them or work fewer hours than they prefer. That problem is especially pronounced on Hawaii Island. As of April, Hawaii County’s unemployment rate of 8.7 percent was markedly higher than the national average of 8.1 percent, making for an especially competitive environment in the search for part-time employment.
“As the economy has slowed down, adults have had to step down the ladder a little bit and take some of those jobs,” explained Casey Carpenter, a counselor at Hilo High School.
Carpenter said many of the students at his school are looking for summer jobs but finding opportunities few and far between.
“It’s just tough right now,” he added, saying that students have had to step up their game in the race to find summer employment. “The guys who really want it and they pursue it can find jobs. You make your own work.”
Adding to the difficulty is a relative lack of programs and agencies aimed at helping teens secure summer jobs.
According to Bill Kunstman, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, there are currently no state-run employment programs aimed at teenaged workers.
“We had one in 2010 … That was funded by stimulus funds, but that money is gone now,” he said.
Alu Like, the statewide nonprofit that works to support Native Hawaiians, operates a year-round employment and training service for low-income Native Hawaiians, American Indians or Alaska Natives between the ages of 14 and 21.
Representatives at Alu Like did not return a phone call seeking information about their employment program, but Shelby Magnani, an employee at Local Style apparel shop at Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo, said she credits the organization with helping her get her job.
Magnani said that when she was a teenager looking for a summer job in 2008, Alu Like connected her with Champs Sports, where she proved that she could handle the responsibility. From there she moved on to Local Style.
“I needed the help at the time, and I got involved with them (Alu Like),” she said.
Reuben Tate, an 18-year-old Hilo High School graduate, was visiting around lunch time Wednesday with a friend who works at Bolo Graphics at Prince Kuhio Plaza. Tate said he was on the hunt for a summer job before he heads to the University of Southern California in the fall to study computer science.
“I’ve applied to Ross, Burger King, Arby’s. Basically, anywhere I can get a job,” he said.
So far, however, his phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook.
“They told me to submit an application and then they would call me. I haven’t heard back from anyone yet,” he said.
Teens looking for tips on how to land a summer job can find a pamphlet offered by the Department of Labor titled “Summer Opportunities: How Can I Get a Job?” at www.careerkokua.org.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.