As summer nears, outlook improves for teen workers

Carson Graves is not letting a pandemic and all the uncertainty that goes with it interfere with launching his yard clean-up service this spring.

The Kansas City-area seventh grader is specializing in dog poop yard control. Carson’s “College Fund Yard Clean-Up Service” promises to keep your yard clean for $10 a week.

Carson made his pitch in a flier he left in my mailbox: “Have you ever had a situation where your dog’s poop is all around the backyard and you are just too tired to pick it up? Then I’m the person to talk to.”

The preteen is among the large army of kids hoping to land work this summer after businesses closed and hiring slowed a year ago because of the pandemic. Some, like Carson, are taking the entrepreneurial route with jobs that can be launched from home. Others are applying at places that traditionally hire teen workers, such as grocery stores, fast-food outlets, retail stores and amusement parks, or catching on with a lawn mowing crew.

Last year, tens of thousands of teens missed out not just on a paycheck but valuable workplace experience. Older kids, hoping to add to their college application résumé and earn money to help cover tuition, had their hopes crushed when internships were canceled.

I remember my years as a summertime sacker at a grocery store well. It was my first job, where I learned to pay attention to details, was drilled to go above and beyond to help customers, and gained an appreciation for the difference between “gross” and “net” pay. There were some long days, but I enjoyed the camaraderie of working as part of a team.

That’s something to think about if you’re an employer looking for workers, or if you’re a neighbor down the street who’s tired of tidying up after the dog.

Last summer was a bit of a mixed bag for teens.

Surprisingly, the number of summer jobs created in May, June and July for 16- to 19-year-olds climbed to nearly 2.2 million, up 26.2% from 2019, according to the outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas, Inc.

However, at the peak of the summer in July, the number of employed teens was down more than one million jobs, from July 2019, Challenger said.

What’s the teen summer employment outlook this year? Challenger predicts two million jobs will be held by teens, down slightly from last year’s total.

As an early indicator, close to 4.9 million teens were employed in March, compared with 4.8 million in the same month last year.

“Retailers, quick-service restaurants and amusement parks are looking for workers right now, and many are having a hard time finding them,” Andrew Challenger, a senior vice president, said in a statement.

Challenger also expects more jobs to open up in park programs and summer camps as vaccination levels increase, the economy improves, and parents start enrolling their children again in activities.

Make sure you don’t overlook volunteer opportunities as more nonprofits and other organizations return to normal staffing practices. Volunteering won’t get teens a paycheck, but it can help them develop skills, meet new people and stay busy once school is out.

More importantly, stocking shelves at a food bank or tutoring younger kids in reading and math could be just the thing that impresses a hiring manager, mentor or college admissions officer down the road.