“Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough” plus 3 more

Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough
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Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough

Posted: 25 Apr 2010 03:28 AM PDT

Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough

By Joan Sousek, Leader Correspondent

The annual spring ritual of high school and college students flooding the Wolf River Region's job market in search for summer seasonal employment is in full swing. With students often seeking seasonal employment to fund college studies or earn extra cash, landing a summer job is extremely important to many.

As these job seekers solicit employment opportunities, the tepid economic recovery combined with the high level of unemployment are making this year's seasonal employment market extremely challenging.

Like previous springs, Kyle Brown's been looking for a summer job. However, the Shawano Community High School sophomore said this year return calls from employers have been slow.

"It's pretty bad," Brown said. "I've applied at about eight or nine places, but haven't gotten any calls back yet. Right now I'm just looking for anything to make extra money."

Years ago, high school and college students usually didn't experience much difficulty finding a decent summer job, said Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board in Green Bay which serves a 10-county area including Shawano and Menominee counties.

Many factories and plants which formerly hired seasonal employees today bring few if any onto the payroll for summer work. Technology eliminated the need for many of those jobs, and many of the region's major employers have reduced seasonal hiring over the years to be more operationally efficient.

Factoring the emerging economic recovery, which sees unemployed adults competing with teens for jobs, makes the summer seasonal employment environment far more challenging for students, Golembeski said. Additionally, a lack of experience can work against teens.

"There was a time when a relatively inexperienced person could step into a factory job," he said. "Now, you often need an associate degree to get a factory job."

According to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development statistics, the labor force in area counties swells every June as students and new graduates seek employment. And while the labor force has been growing, the number of available jobs has been declining the past 15 months.

Despite signs of improvement in the job market, Golembeski said finding a summer job will be tough for high school and college students.

Some places are hiring machinists, welders and electricians, he noted - all jobs requiring advanced training. Construction is still very slow in this area, he said, so there aren't many general labor positions available which traditionally are filled8 by seasonal student workers.

"It's tough because (youth are) competing against a lot of displaced adult workers," said Austin Retzlaff, Older Youth Case Manager at Shawano Job Center.

Retzlaff expects this summer will be much like last summer when it comes to youth employment.

The summer of 2009 was one of the worst on record for seasonal summer employment. Each July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles unemployment figures for youths age 16-24. In July 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics showed youth unemployment stood at 18.5 percent, the highest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948.

The figures underscore the problem faced by area youths like SCHS senior Lucas Veness who has filed a handful of job applications with area employers, and is hopeful a job will open up.

"I'm open to pretty much anything, manual labor to customer service, I'm good with people," Veness said. "Just not hearing back from people is the tough part. It doesn't seem right how things are turning out."

And as seasonal candidates prepare to enter the summer job market, they need to be on top of their game to locate that perfect job. Many job sites have special seasonal and temporary listings and offer tips on what employers are looking for, how to create a resume and to interview successfully. One geared to youth is www.teens4hire.org.

While the seasonal employment picture has its challenges for the summer of 2010, for enterprising candidates who are aggressive in their job search activities, there are a few bright spots in the Wolf River Region.

"It's good there is quite a bit of tourism," Retzlaff said, adding businesses like golf courses, resorts and ice cream shops often hire summer seasonal help to meet increased customer volumes with tourists.

Recent listings on www.jobcenterofwisconsin.com, included Dairy Queen in Shawano which advertised for 20 permanent cashier/cook positions. The restaurant is closed for remodeling and will soon reopen with an expanded operation. The same website listed five job openings at Arby's, just south of the city.

Job Center Case Manager Robyn Shingler echoed Retzlaff's comments about tourism jobs, and said KI in Bonduel (www.ki.com), which manufactures furniture for schools and offices, was hiring 90 production technicians for full-time summer jobs.

Other seasonal employment opportunities for youths include parks and recreational sites (like swimming pools), Bible and other summer camps, summer entertainment venues, fast food and casual dining restaurants, lawn care and maintenance companies.

Justin Ross of Clintonville will be working for the Clintonville Park and Recreation Department, a job he just landed for the summer after a difficult search.

"It's been tough to find a job — a lot of places don't have openings for kids our age," said Ross, a senior at Clintonville High School. "I went to numerous businesses, and they said they didn't have work."

At the Shawano Park and Recreation Department, director Judy Judd said they employ a number of youths who serve as instructors for tennis, volleyball, tumbling, and pom pon.

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Sunday, April 25, 2010

“Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough” plus 3 more

“Economy, competing with adults make summer job search tough” plus 3 more

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