Teen Employment Crisis

Teenage summer employment has decreased by more than 10% over the past five years. Yet, the percent of young people who want to work has risen. The MSNBC article (see link) gives a variety of reasons for American adolescents' inability to find summer work. Among them:

Competition from immigrants and adult workers recovering from the recession who are not limited to seasonal employment

Fewer locally owned businesses that are willing to give a kid a break or that are loyal to seasonal teenage employees

Increase in summer school enrollment that makes work scheduling difficult for some youth

I wonder if entitlement issues are at play. Are teens saying, "I want to work; but I'm not going to flip burgers or bus tables"? Do college-bound, affluent kids feel that they deserve better? Unscientific observation tells me that several fast food restaurants are hiring and would love to have a few high schoolers join the crew for the summer.

Of course, I have entitlement issues of my own. Having worked at Wendy's for six consecutive summers during high school and college, I feel entitled to give the current generation of teens a hard time for passing over certain work opportunities. Honestly, I may have learned more from spending my vacations serving Old Fashioned Hamburgers than I did from either high school or college.

So put on the visor, the nametag, and the grease-stained shirt and get to work, kids.